Wolves in the Night
by fleflefle
Summary: Kiba is having weird dreams. Sakura has a secret. How will these two end up together? Werewolf fic
1. Kiba

Chapters are subject to change.

I do not own Naruto

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**Kiba**

Inuzuka Kiba awoke to an extremely annoying sound. In his groggy, sleep-addled state, it took a second to realize that the sound was his alarm clock obnoxiously telling him it was time to get ready for school. He groaned in annoyance and quickly shut the damn thing off.

Kiba laid his head down for a second to gather his wits and make a checklist for his morning tasks. As he silently did this, he felt the body next to him stir. Kiba internally groaned. He thought he told her to leave after their late night rendezvous was over but he must have forgotten in his post-orgasm mind fog (after several rounds of intense sex, he tended to fall asleep quickly). It's not like this was his girlfriend or anything. Hell, he didn't even remember the girl's name. When Kiba was on the prowl, he was only after one thing and most people were aware of this, so it all worked out.

The mystery girl, he thought her name might be Jessica or Jennifer or something generic like that, rose from his bed and began to gather her clothes. She was lucky that he didn't rip them last night. Often, he would have to take the women he slept with home or to school in some of his clothes because of his urgency to get her clothes off.

While she was doing this she decided to strike up a conversation. "We should do this again sometime. You know, maybe it could be a regular thing? I'd really like that and um…" She spoke quietly, and her voice became more frail and unsure as her request continued.

Kiba sighed. 'Great. Another one who wants something that I don't feel like giving. Maybe I should start wearing a shirt that advertises a one-night stand policy when I pick up chicks.' After a few seconds he finally answered, "I don't think that will be happening." Kiba had found out long ago that it was better to be upfront and blunt about these things or they would drag on and on.

"Oh", was her only response.

Kiba could practically feel the disappointment and tension radiating in the room so he quickly changed the subject. "Come on, get something to eat and I'll take you to school."

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While he was getting ready and taking the mystery female to school, Kiba was deep in thought. 'Damn. Driving a car sure is annoying. It's so much easier to shift and run through the forest.' Normally, he wouldn't drive to school. He would walk into the forest, shift, and then run to the school.

Kiba was a werewolf, an alpha werewolf at that. In the real world, werewolves looked like regular wolves but were much larger. Alpha wolves were usually about the size of a horse. Other wolves were, of course, smaller and weaker than the alpha wolves, though due to this there were many beta wolves that were faster than the alphas.

There was only one alpha per wolf pack and his word was law. Alpha wolves usually claimed a territory as their own and would submit all the lower ranking wolves in their newly claimed territory. This is how wolf packs are formed. If the territory of choice already had an alpha then the new alpha would challenge the existing alpha and the winner would become the new alpha and keep the territory. The losing alpha would then submit to this victor and become a beta of his pack. In this way, an alpha would become a beta wolf but it is almost impossible for a beta to become an alpha. There was just no hope for a beta in a battle of strength.

'I dreamed about _Her_ again last night', Kiba thought. 'Damn, I wish I could just find her so I could see if she is real and prove that I'm not crazy.' Kiba had been having these strangely erotic dreams lately. He could never see a face or even a hair color. He only caught glimpses of her body with fair, smooth, soft skin. The erotic thing about the dream was the scent that the mystery woman gave off. Being a werewolf, scent was extremely important. No wolf wanted a mate whose scent was repulsive. _Her_ scent was the most intoxicating scent he had ever smelled. It was so alluring that even though the visuals of his dream left something to be desired, he still woke up with a raging hard on that simply could not be exiled with a cold shower.

These dreams are what led to his days as a man-whore. Teenage werewolves went through puberty with even more hormones than a regular teen, so they usually were not strangers to sex. Sometimes the urges were just too powerful to fight and if one tried to fight then the outcome could be very dangerous, indeed. But Kiba took this to a whole new level. Several times a week, he would be forced to find some chick and fuck the shit out of her to keep from going bat-shit crazy with lust. Kiba was convinced that this mystery woman was his mate but this just raised more questions. He has never picked up on a scent even remotely close to _Her's_ outside his dreams. Who is she? Where is she? What does she look like? What is her name? These and other questions usually raced through Kiba's mind whenever he thought about his dreams.

He was starting to find out that just fucking some random chick wasn't enough to satisfy his need for _Her_. Sometimes he would go through a few rounds of sex just to find himself hard and wanting again. He wondered what he would do when it wouldn't satisfy him at all. He shivered at the thought.

Finally arriving at the school, Kiba parked and they both exited the car. Kiba put on his leather jacket and left in search of his pack. The two departed without a word. One out of apathy and the other out of intimidation.

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A/N: Please review


	2. Sakura

I don't own Naruto

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**Sakura**

Haruno Sakura awoke long before her alarm even began to ring. She has yet to find the will to turn it off so it continues to ring. It had been one of those sleepless nights again; nights where she would have horrible nightmares and wake up in a cold sweat. After that, Sakura usually stayed awake the rest of the night out of fear. The nightmares were terrible. Even worse was that they weren't nightmares.

No. She wouldn't go there now. She wouldn't allow herself to. It would only bring more suffering.

Sakura finally found the will to shut off her alarm. Deciding that there was no point in lying around anymore, she got out of bed. She then proceeded to grab some clothes and head to the shower.

After Sakura exited the shower, she checked the time. Seeing that there was an extensive amount of time before she needed to leave, Sakura congratulated herself on herself on her perfect timing. She had just enough time to do her makeup.

Sakura's makeup routine could not be described as normal. She knew that most girls didn't like to wear a lot of makeup. She also knew that most boys didn't like girls with a lot of makeup. But this wasn't about other people. Sakura would spend an enormous amount of time lathering her face with makeup every morning. No, she wasn't stupid. She knew that it was not attractive but that wasn't the point. The point was that it covered her face. Her entire face. The face that she could no longer force herself to look at without feeling disgust and pain.

It wasn't always like that. Sakura used to be like any other high school girl. Worrying about boys, her grades, and school dances. She remembered that she used to be quite pretty. Some would even call her beautiful. She had a few boyfriends in the early years of high school but nothing that ever lasted. She used to be popular too. Most people were friendly when she would walk down the halls of her school. She had a close-knit group of friends too. But she eventually stopped hanging out with them. Then she stopped replying to their texts and didn't answer their calls. After that, she would avoid them in school and stopped eating lunch with them. They tried to reach out to her but Sakura would have none of that. She didn't know if they missed her or not; she doubted it. Who _would_ miss her?

After a while, Sakura finished her makeup. She inspected her handiwork. Satisfied that none of the old Sakura was showing, she reached for her perfume. She didn't even want to smell like the old Sakura. 'Damn', she thought. 'How did I not notice that I was out of perfume? Oh well, not much I can do about it now.' She made a mental note to pick some more up after school. Her perfume was strong and not in the good way. She knew this but, like the makeup, the allure of the scent wasn't the point of wearing it.

Finally finishing her morning routine, Sakura left for school. Mentally, she was rebuilding her walls. These walls would protect her when the other students would gossip about her when they thought she wasn't listening. Teenagers really were heartless bastards. But secretly, she liked that they talked about her like that. The harsh words they spoke about her gave her a scapegoat for her pain. It was easier to think about the gossip as the source of her pain and it prevented her from thinking about the true source of her anguish.

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A/N: Please review.


	3. The Pack

Chapters are subject to change.

I don't own Naruto.

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**The Pack**

As Kiba made his way down the hall, students were quick to get out of his way. As an alpha wolf, Kiba radiated natural dominance, even in human form. This was amplified because Konoha High was part of Kiba's territory. In fact, all of Konoha and a majority of the surrounding forests were part of Kiba's territory. Some might say this was too much space for an alpha that was still a senior in high school but Kiba was a strong wolf and his pack was large and strong as well (**A/N: Kiba's pack is about 12 strong. Most will not have important roles)**.

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Humans didn't know about the supernatural world. Only a select few were allowed to know and if anyone wanted to tell a human, they had to consult with Kiba first. Generally these requests were turned down but there was the occasional approval. As alpha of Konoha and the surrounding area, Kiba was basically the supervisor for all supernatural activity that went on in his territory.

Since the humans didn't know that Kiba was a werewolf or that werewolves even existed, they didn't understand why they were so intimidated by Kiba. Humans that were foolish enough to challenge Kiba's alpha status quickly learned what a grave mistake they made. These were usually new students who were bullies in their old schools. One fight with Kiba usually set them straight. The other students would learn from their mistakes. Even the teachers and faculty were scared of Kiba. They were even more baffled by the Inuzuka. They were adults; they shouldn't inwardly cower when Kiba walked into the room. But they did.

Even though Kiba could probably get away with almost anything, he didn't break the rules too much. He might skip class or put a bully in his place but never anything outrageous like sending a freshman to the hospital for no reason. This was his territory, after all; Kiba had an obligation to make sure things ran smoothly. As a result of this, many people, including teachers, did not question Kiba's methods. Kiba kept order in what once was chaos.

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Kiba, after finally spotting some of his pack down the hall, walked up to them. "Hey guys", he greeted.

Shino, Shikamaru, and Lee all turned from their conversation to welcome Kiba into their circle.

"KIBA, WHAT A YOUTHFUL GLOW YOU HAVE ABOUT YOU TODAY!" Kiba smiled. Only Lee would say hello like that. Well, there was one other…

Of course, Shikamaru was leaning against his locker seemingly asleep but they all knew he wasn't. They always met at Shika's locker because he was too lazy to walk anywhere else. "Ugh. Why do you have to be so troublesome all the time?"

"SHIKAMARU, YOU ARE SO FULL OF YOUTHFUL POTENTIAL! WHY DO YOU NOT CELEBRATE IT? THERE ARE SO MANY WONDERS OF YOUTH THAT YOU HAVE YET TO UNCOVER!" Lee was always trying to get Shika to stop being so lazy but, of course, it never bore fruit.

"Troublesome," was Shika's mumbled response.

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Shino studied Kiba closely. He had remained silent through the conversation to observe his alpha. Kiba and Shino had been best friends before Kiba's family moved away and had continued their long distance friendship until Kiba moved back. Their families were also close with each other. Both of their dad's had been best friends which led to many play dates when they were young. All of this resulted in an extensive knowledge of the other. Shino used this knowledge while observing Kiba. Kiba was loud and outspoken about everything and was usually a cheerful person even though he was a hothead. This morning, however, he was quiet and reserved. This only happened when Kiba was deep in thought about something. Shino figured that Shikamaru had also picked up on this but was either too lazy to say anything or knew that Shino would be able to handle it. Shino made a mental note to ask him about it in one of their shared classes. Shino was sure that the issue would come to light by the end of the day.

Shino was, in fact, right about Kiba's behavior. Kiba was thinking about telling Shino about his dreams. He hadn't told anyone about them because he didn't want anyone to think he was crazy. If word got around that Kiba was falling off his horse it could be bad for his position in the pack and his hold on the territory. But Kiba knew that his best friend would understand. Shino was smart, one of the smartest in their class. Kiba was sure that Shino would be able to give him some helpful advice.

Deciding to get down to business Kiba looked at Shino and asked, "How did patrol go last night?"

Shino thought the question over for a few seconds, going over a mental checklist of what when on during his patrol last night. "It went well. Nothing major happened. The only thing to report is that Jason picked up on the scent of another wolf that was not part of our pack. The scent was weak so the wolf was probably in human form and just passing through. We followed the trail and it led into the city."

"That's good," was Kiba's reply. "Shika, remember it's your turn to patrol tonight and don't sleep through it like the last time." Shika groaned in annoyance.

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Patrol was something all the wolf packs did. It wasn't really about protecting the humans within the claimed territory so much as protecting the territory itself. The humans that resided in the territory were generally viewed as an extension of the territory. Most supernatural beings tended to just ignore humans. A small group (depending on the size of the pack) would patrol through the night and search for unauthorized supernatural occurrences such as an invading alpha/pack. For Kiba's pack, one of the four ranking wolves would patrol with two of the non-ranking wolves. It was a rare occasion that a supernatural being would act in the daytime. It wasn't that the sun would harm them, but more along the lines of the moon allowed them to use their full strength. If the entire pack was needed then the ranking wolf would howl and the other wolves would either hear it or feel it through the pack link. In the morning, whichever ranking wolf that was on patrol the previous night would report to Kiba.

Other supernatural beings that laid claim to a territory, such as witches or trolls, would also monitor their territory in some way. Some supernatural beings, such as vampires, tended to stay close to the cities to blend in.

There were four ranking wolves in Kiba's pack: Kiba as the Alpha, Shino as the Beta, Lee as Third, and Shika as Fourth. Things worked pretty well this way since they were all close friends. Some might say that Kiba was biased in picking Shino as his Beta and that Shikamaru was a better choice due to his superior intellect and strategy skills. Kiba had several reasons for picking his Beta. The best reason was perhaps that Kiba and Shino had excellent teamwork skills due to the lifelong friendship that they shared. Often they wouldn't even have to communicate through the pack link to discern each other's actions; one would just know what the other would do. Secondly, Shino was also a very bright mind. He wasn't on Shika's level but he was well above the average mind. Lastly, Shika was too lazy to take the job in the first place. Kiba didn't even have to ask Shika to know that he would refuse and say it was 'troublesome.' Truthfully, Kiba only needed a Third and Fourth to supervise patrols. Lee was ecstatic, whereas Shika reluctantly tolerated his new position.

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The bell began to ring, signaling the students to depart to their respective classes. Kiba and Shino had their first two classes together so they left for their first class: creative writing. Kiba was only taking the class because Shino was. He enjoyed spending time with his best friend and did so whenever possible; if that meant taking classes he didn't give a fuck about then so be it.

While on the way Shino decided now was the time to question Kiba about his behavior. "So what is it that you want to talk about?"

Kiba smiled. His best friend could read him like a book. "Shino, man, I don't know. I think I might be going crazy. I keep having these weird dreams and I don't know why."

By now they had arrived at the classroom and were taking their seats. Shino turned to him and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Dreams? What kind of dreams?"

"I don't understand them, really. They aren't that detailed. In fact, there is barely any dreaming going on. It's mostly just a smell. I know it's a girl's smell but damn does it smell good. It's intoxicating. Hands down, the best fragrance ever. Sometimes I get a visual of a body but only a flash and never anything close to a face."

"Isn't that normal though? The inner wolf uses scent to identify the optimal mate. The wolf somehow analyzes the scent and deduces everything about that person. The person with the qualities it finds the most alluring is chosen as the wolf's mate. The wolf changes the way the werewolf perceives its mate's scent into something irresistible to improve chances of mating. I don't understand what the problem is." The supernatural world was full of mysteries. Things like mating, the pack link, and the inner wolf were full of intricacies that could not be explained. Most supernatural beings learned early on to just accept and move on.

"Yeah, that is how it normally goes but when you already know who the potential mate is. I have never met this woman or even come close to smelling that scent outside of my dreams. And that doesn't explain why I am having the dreams in the first place. I have never heard of a wolf having dreams of potential mates."

"Hmmm… That's true. Maybe it's because you're an Alpha. The inner wolf for an Alpha is fundamentally different from other wolves. Or maybe it's to guarantee that you will mate with this woman when you find her. You're wolf must have already picked a mate in order to show you in your dreams. I think that alone proves that you have come across this mystery woman before. Maybe the scent has been covered up or diluted somehow and you were, therefore, unable to pick up on it. Or maybe the woman left town after your wolf chose her. Perhaps your dreams are the manifestation of your wolf calling out for your mate."

"Well, what you said about my wolf has already chosen her makes sense. At least I know that I'm not crazy."

"Maybe you should go see that shaman guy that lives in that cave. He might know something about your dreams."

"That old perv, Jiraiya? Hell no. He'd probably just tell me to fall asleep so he could molest me or something. Besides, he's probably too doped up on whatever shaman-drugs he can concoct to be of any use."

Shino laughed at that. His friend had a way with words. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Well, my advice would be to just wait it out. This mystery woman will probably turn up eventually."

"Damn it, Shino. Is that the best you could come up with? I don't know if I can wait much longer. I already have to fuck everything that moves to keep myself from a permanent hard-on. My wolf doesn't like it either. It satisfies my hormones but not my wolf. My wolf knows who it wants, apparently. Guess he decided that it would be better to keep that information a secret. The fucker. Fucking random chicks isn't going to be enough for much longer. Jerking off sure won't help. I already tried that. I don't know what I'm going to do!"

Shino really had to restrain himself from being a major disturbance in the class. He couldn't help it. He found his friend's situation quite hilarious. After a minute, Shino finally managed to collect himself. One look over at Kiba was enough to tell him that Kiba was not amused. "So that explains your sudden rise to the top of man-slut-dom. I can't really think of anything to help you with that. But man, I've got to tell you, sex with your mate is the best. Ever." Shino knew from experience that this was true. He had to quickly deflect thoughts of Ino from his mind before he was sporting a hard on.

"Damn it, Shino! First, you give me half-assed advice and now you throw it in my face that your sex life is off the charts? Some best friend you are." Shino knew he was just joking when he said this. The smile on Kiba's face helped to reassure this.

"Whatever man, at least I'm not some horny mutt that humps every leg he can latch onto," Shino teased in retaliation.

"Alright alright. I'm tired of this conversation now. If we keep talking about this I might end up humping your leg. We'll see how funny you think it is then."

Shino couldn't hold back his smile at that.

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A/N: Please Review.


	4. A Blast from the Past

Thanks for the reviews/favorites/follows everyone!

As per the usual, I don't own Naruto.

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**A Blast from the Past**

Sakura was walking to class, alone of course, when she saw him.

Blonde hair, lightly tanned skin, and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Naruto.

'Oh shit,' she thought. 'No, no, no. Why did he have to come back? Couldn't he just travel with his parents for the rest of my life?' For a second she thought that maybe he wouldn't recognize her with all the changes she had made to her appearance but that idea was quickly shot down. Her parents never allowed her to change her hair color. Her _bubble gum pink_ hair. She was screwed.

Naruto used to be her best friend. They told each other everything and did all of that over best friend stuff. Then he left with his parents, Minato and Kushina Uzumaki, to travel the world. That was the last time she saw him. They continued to stay in touch until she broke away from him like everyone else in her life.

Her other friends were persistent in keeping contact with her to a point. For them, it was only a matter of time. It wasn't that they didn't care about her, but a one-sided relationship can only go so far. She knew this and Sakura was finally at that point. Her friends had all but given up on her. They simply didn't know what to do anymore.

But Naruto was different. Naruto was a complete idiot in every sense of the word and he couldn't take a hint to save his life. But he was a persistent, stubborn idiot. Who was she kidding? Naruto was the most stubborn person in the universe. Once he set his mind on something, he never strayed. Not even a little bit. She knew Naruto would never give up on her as a friend. He would fight for her even after his last breathe. And if there was anyone who could tear down the walls she had so tediously built, it was one Uzumaki Naruto.

Sakura quickly turned around and bolted in the opposite direction. She did her best to ignore the sound of her name being called.

* * *

Kiba was walking to class when he picked up on the scent. _That _scent. _Her_ scent. He immediately stopped and his eyes opened as wide as they would go. 'She's here. Shino was right; she does exist,' he thought. He took a deep breathe, trying to savor the sensation of smelling her in real life. It was even better than in his dreams. But even as he was enjoying her scent, it began to fade. 'Damn it. There are too many people in halls. It would be almost impossible to track her down in these crowded hallways, even with my wolf senses.' But this did not discourage Kiba. No, quite the opposite, in fact. Now, he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was real and, even better, that she was close and he would be damned before he let her evade him forever.

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A/N: Please review.


	5. Kiba's Interlude P1: Truths

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

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**Kiba's Interlude P1: Truths**

Kiba was ecstatic. He was going home. His mom had finally decided that it was time to move back to Konoha. Kiba had missed it. He had missed the lush forests and home-y atmosphere. More than that, Shino, his best friend, was in Konoha. He couldn't wait to see him again.

It had been almost three years since he had been home. His dad died and his mom decided to move the family away from Konoha. She said that she couldn't be surrounded by the memories of their father. So they left.

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He had shifted for the first time while his family was away from Konoha. He had been moody and extremely irritable about a month before the shift. He didn't know what was happening to him. He would suddenly get so angry over the littlest things, things that didn't bother him previously.

It all came to head when his mother told him they were out of cheese while he was trying to make a sandwich. Seeing red, he shoved everything off the counter and stormed out of the house and into the forest in the backyard.

He barely made it two steps into the forest before his body was racked with excruciating pain. The pain was everywhere and all-consuming. He wasn't sure if he started screaming or not. Then he felt even more pain as his bones started to break, realign, and reform. Several minutes later, the pain finally stopped.

Kiba took a minute to gather his wits. 'What the hell just happened?' Kiba began to look around and assess his surroundings. He noticed a few things that were different. He could see farther than he ever had and everything was clearer and sharper. He heard what sounded like a frantic heartbeat somewhere nearby. He could also smell so much more. He could smell everything around him in fact. The trees, nearby animals… everything. He didn't know how he could distinguish these smells, he just could.

He finally looked down. 'HOLY SHIT!' What Kiba saw when he looked down at where his feet should be really freaked him out. He found out that he had large, russet paws instead of feet. There was a nearby pond and he used it to look at his entire body. He saw that he was a giant, russet-colored wolf. Kiba figured he was about the size of a horse. 'Oh God, oh God, what is happening to me?' Kiba was freaking out.

"Kiba! Kiba!" His mother had come to find him. He wasn't surprised. With the way he was acting before he left, he would be shocked if he lived to see tomorrow. Inuzuka Tsume was a total badass and could be very intimidating. She was his mother and Kiba, a junior in high school, was still afraid of her.

'I can't let her find me like this! She'll think I'm some kind of monster!'

It was too late for escaping though. In his hysteria, Kiba had forgotten that he was at the edge the forest instead of deep within it. His mother had already found him before he started to run.

"Oh Kiba." His mother covered her mouth with her hand. He could see her eyes rake over his body.

'Wait a second. How did she know it was me? I look like a giant wolf.'

A second after that thought raced through his mind, he watched as his mom made her way over to him. When she finally reached him, she smacked him on the top of his head. Hard.

"It's about damn time, son." He could see that she was smirking at him.

'What the fuck?' Kiba was so confused by this turn of events. He couldn't make any sense out of this situation.

"Now, I'm sure that you don't know up from down right now. So you sit right here while I go get a chair. I'll be right back and then I'll explain everything."

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So she did. His mom told him that he was a werewolf. That he shouldn't be ashamed of what he was, that he should be proud. He was living a life greater than any human life. She told him that he was an alpha wolf. He was confused at first but then his mom explained the hierarchy of wolves, pack dynamics, and claiming territories.

She told him how to shift back. She said that his anger is what triggered the initial shift. She then told him that the key to shifting back was to let go of that anger and to calm down. She also told him that eventually he would be able to control when he shifted and it wouldn't hurt after he'd done it a few times. It took a minute, but Kiba finally got it right. Kiba was astonished to find out that he was naked. Only then did he notice his shattered clothes that were strewn across the forest floor.

Kiba's mom only laughed at the look on his face. Thankfully, she had prepared for this situation. She threw the clothes at him. "Damn son, it's not like I haven't seen it before."

"Shut up Ma! It's not the same as when you used to bathe me."

"Whatever, Kiba. Let's finish this conversation inside."

* * *

After they were inside, Kiba's mom continued to explain the supernatural world and its inhabitants. She told him the realities of the supernatural world and of the illusions that the humans believed. She explained that the inner wolf was basically the manifestation of his animal instincts. She instructed him to pay very close attention to his wolf. Apparently, werewolves had superb instincts.

Then, she told him that being a wolf was usually hereditary. Some wolves were the result of a bite but most didn't survive it. A bitten wolf was usually weaker than a born wolf, as well.

She told him that the wolf gene was carried on the Y chromosome so women weren't born wolves. However, when a wolf mates, the mate also develops an inner wolf and would develop some characteristics of a werewolf such as heightened senses. Usually, a mate wouldn't shift unless she was in an extreme situation or was experiencing extreme emotions. She also told him about mating and other bits of information that pertained to werewolves.

When Kiba asked if the full moon would affect when he shifted like in the movies, she smiled at him. She said that all supernatural beings were weaker during the day and that the night brought out their true power. She said that if he didn't learn to control his wolf then the moon would dictate when he shifted. After he learned control, the full moon would only affect his emotions such as increased aggression and anger.

Kiba was very grateful that his mom was in on all of this supernatural stuff. It would be hell to try to figure this stuff out alone.

Then, Kiba felt a shift in the conversation. His instincts were telling him that she was hiding something. Kiba looked at his mom. He thought he saw a pained expression on her face. When she met his eyes, there was sadness in them.

"Kiba, I want you to know that I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry for lying about all of this supernatural stuff and about something else…"

"Ma, what are you talking about?" Kiba was starting to get nervous. His mother never acted like this.

"Son, you dad wasn't hit by a car. He… Your father… He was killed by a vampire."

Kiba felt a huge lump form in his throat. It was getting hard to breathe in the room. Kiba was in shock. He couldn't believe this. Kiba had always adored his dad. He remembered when they used to play sports in the backyard, spend afternoons watch games on TV, and spend entire weekends watching movies together. His dad had a well-paying, time-consuming job but always found time for his family. His dad was Kiba's hero. Even though it separated him from his friends, Kiba was secretly gald that they moved from Konoha. Truthfully, he didn't want to be surrounded by the memories of his father either. Hearing this only brought all those memories to the front of Kiba's mind.

Kiba knew that he couldn't be mad at his mom for lying to him. If she had told him any of this three years ago when his dad died, he would have checked her into a mental hospital. But that did not take the pain of his mother's words away.

A minute or two of silence had passed. Kiba had to take some time to process this information. "Ma…" Kiba looked at his mother again. There were tears in her eyes. Kiba could feel his own eyes start to water.

Kiba's mother quickly enveloped him in a tight hug, full of love and care. "Son, I'm so sorry. But I want you to know how proud of you I am. I know your father would be proud too. I'm sure you already know this, but your father was a great man. He was a friend to everyone. He was always so kind and caring to other people. He would always tell me that he was the luckiest man in the world but I always thought that I was the lucky one. He was a strong wolf too. An alpha wolf, like yourself. I know that you will be a strong wolf too. I can already tell that you will be even stronger than your father and that fills me with such pride. But son, no one is invincible. Being a wolf is dangerous no matter what. It was a surprise attack. The area had been devoid of activity for months so your father's pack was relaxed when they were patrolling. It was a strong vampire that attacked him. Apparently, your father had killed his brother or something years ago so it was a revenge killing. Luckily, Aburame Shibi, your friend Shino's dad and your father's Beta, was also patrolling that night and was able to call the rest of the pack and dispatch the vampire but not before your father had already passed away."

After another period of silence, Kiba finally spoke. "Ma, thanks for telling me. It really means a lot. God, I miss him so much." Kiba had collected himself by then but did not let go of his mother. Holding her close gave him the comfort that he needed to deal with this.

"I know. We all miss him."

Another minute passed before anything was said. "Ma, I want to go back to Konoha. I truly feel like Konoha is my home, not here. All my friends are still in Konoha. And I want my territory to be Dad's territory also. I want to take it back, for him." Kiba had made up his mind. He would make his dad proud. He would do his best to be the best Alpha he could be.

"Look at you, Kiba. Already making me proud. Of course, we can move back. Your father would be so proud." Tsume gave her son one last hug. It was starting to get late and there were moving plans to be made. "Good night, Kiba."

"Good night, Ma." Kiba wasn't really sure how he felt. Sad, yes, but something else he couldn't quite name. Comforted? Maybe. Kiba didn't really know how to describe it.

"Oh, and Kiba?"

"Yeah, Ma?" Kiba looked at his mother. She was wearing a mischievous smirk and had a playful look in her eyes.

"Your training starts tomorrow. Be prepared." With that his mother left him in the living room feeling flabbergasted.

'Oh shit.'

* * *

A/N: Please review


	6. KI P2: Preparations

Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Kiba's Interlude P2: Preparations**

Inuzuka Tsume trained her son hard for two whole months. First, she helped him learn how to control his shifts by controlling his anger and other emotions. After Kiba mastered that, she would appear at random times, usually in the middle of the night, with random tasks. These tasks ranged from running around the entire city to obstacle courses to tracking various objects in the forest using only scent or sound and they only got more difficult as the days went by. Of course these were all timed and if he didn't complete whatever crazy task that she given him, he would do them over and over until he could do it perfectly.

It was hell for Kiba. More than once, his mother had woken him and gave him one of her outrageous tasks and he would be up the rest of the night trying to complete it. After the first couple of weeks of this torture, Kiba wasn't sure if he would make it back to Konoha alive.

One night, Kiba reached his breaking point. He shifted back to human form and stormed up to his mom with murder on his mind. "What the fuck, Ma! What is your problem with all this training shit?! You wake me up in the middle of the night and give me some dumb ass errand and keep me up the rest of night! I can't take it anymore! I haven't had a full night's sleep in two weeks! Two fucking weeks, Ma! I don't understand the point of this shit anyway!"

Never one to back down from a challenge, Tsume looked her son dead in the eyes," Well excuse me Mr. Expert! I thought it was obvious that I was trying to help you be a better wolf! You're natural instincts will save your life more times than you can count but so will the skills that I'm teaching you now! You want to know why it happens in the middle of the night?! Anything could happen at any time in the supernatural world; most of that shit will go down at night and you need to be able to react quickly and efficiently no matter what! You want to know why I make you do those obstacle courses and races?! It's because I don't want my son to be some pussy-assed newborn wolf that doesn't know his tail from his own dick!" Kiba growled at that and his eyes flashed a bright red color. His wolf did not like being talked to like that. "Don't give me that growling shit. I'm trying to give you some endurance and stamina so that you can be the strong wolf I know you are! You want to know why I make you track stuff in the forests?! You will need skills like that to be both an effective wolf and leader! All of your senses need to be in pristine condition and you need the ability to use them to their full extent! As for not having a full night sleep, I've told you from the beginning that after you completed my task then you would be free to go back to bed. How is it my fault that you aren't taking any of this shit seriously?! You don't like the way I do things? Fine! Go try to figure this stuff out on your own! Good luck! You'll need it!" Tsume waited for her son's reaction.

Listening to his mother's words gave Kiba some time to calm down. 'I never thought of any of that stuff in that way. She isn't trying to make my life hard; she's just trying to help me. She is right. I'm not taking any of this as seriously as I should be. I haven't been giving any of this stuff my all either.'

"You're right, Ma. I haven't been taking any of this stuff seriously. I haven't been giving it 100% of my effort either. I'm sorry. From now on I'll do my best. I promise."

Tsume breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't mean to tell him to leave, she just got carried away. "That's all I'm asking for, son. I just don't want to see you get hurt knowing that there was something that I could have done to prevent it. Now, ready to try again?"

Kiba smiled. Of course, she wouldn't let him off the hook tonight. "Hell yeah!"

After that night, Kiba hardly ever failed one of his mom's challenges.

* * *

After the first month of training past, Tsume was convinced that Kiba had mastered all of the skills that she could teach him. It was time for the next step in his training to commence. For this she would need to call an old friend. She hoped that he would be available.

Picking up her cell phone, she ran through her contacts until she found the name she was looking for. She hesitated. They hadn't spoken since her husband's funeral almost three years ago. 'What am I thinking?' If she knew this person half as well as she thought she did, there wasn't a force in existence that would keep him from coming to help Kiba.

Pressing the 'call' button, Tsume waited for someone to pick up.

After a few seconds of waiting a familiar voice answered, "Hello?"

"Shibi? It's Tsume."

* * *

Kiba couldn't believe his eyes. His godfather, Aburame Shibi, and his best friend, Aburame Shino, were standing there in his doorway. He hadn't seen them in almost three years and now they suddenly show up on his doorstep, unannounced? This had his mother written all over it.

"Uh… Come on in guys, I guess."

"Kiba, is something wrong? I thought you would be jumping off the walls by now," Shibi questioned.

"No, no, it's not that. It's just I'm a little shocked to see you guys. I wasn't expecting you at all and then you suddenly appear."

"Ah. Well, that seems exactly like something Tsume would do." Tsume didn't inform Shibi that this would be a surprise for Kiba but he wasn't surprised in least.

Kiba laughed at that. He was over his initial shock now and moved to greet his best friend and godfather properly. "Yeah, you got that right. MA! Uncle Shibi and Shino are here!"

* * *

Hours later, Kiba found himself in the forest in the middle of the night trying to defend himself from both Shibi and Shino. They were all in wolf form. Sparring with both Shibi and Shino was proving to be quite the challenge. Shibi had a surplus of knowledge and experience on all aspects of being a wolf and both Shino and Kiba were benefiting from it. Things were progressing quickly and it was only the first night.

Apparently Shino shifted about a week before Kiba and Shibi trained Shino just as his mother had trained him. Last week, Tsume had called Shibi and told him that Kiba shifted and that she was training him. However, not being a wolf herself, there was only so much that she could teach her son. Shibi informed Tsume that Shino had also shifted and was going through the same training. Tsume said that there was no way that she could train Kiba in wolf combat and requested that Shibi come to help Kiba with that. Shibi immediately agreed and said that Shino was ready for combat training as well and they could kill two birds with one stone. Kiba was overjoyed. His best friend was a wolf too. He wouldn't have to lie and make excuses to explain his weird behavior all the time.

Training with Shibi continued for the next month. They would meet in forest every night and do various things just like the previous month. They would have one-on-one battles, every-man-for-himself battles, races, and tag-team battles until they were collapsing from exhaustion. After that month had come and gone, both Shibi and Tsume were satisfied with their sons' improvement. They had evolved from pups that didn't know right from left in a fight to fierce warriors that should be feared and respected.

* * *

Shibi couldn't be more proud. He wished Kova was here to see this. _Both_ of their sons were a sight to behold. He could already tell that their teamwork would be unrivaled. He had always thought of Kova as a brother and Kiba as a nephew. He was devastated when Kova died and had missed seeing Kiba and his son together. He could tell that Shino and Kiba had missed each other as well. 'It won't be that way for long though,' Shibi thought with a smile. Tsume had told him of their plans to move back to Konoha and Shibi couldn't be more excited to have them both back in his life.

* * *

Tsume knew it was time to go home now. Over the past two months she had been proceeding with the plan to move back to Konoha, just like she promised Kiba. She only had a couple more things to finalize and they would be ready to leave. Luckily, these last few requirements would only take a phone call or two to finish. She knew that Kiba couldn't wait to leave. She hadn't seen her son this happy since his dad died. She wanted to see that look on her son's face all the time. That look of joy and contentment. It was worth all the worrying she would go through when they returned.

* * *

A/N: Please review.


	7. KI P3: Sakon and Ukon

Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows! Chapters have all been reviewed and edited!

I don't own Naruto.

"dialogue"

'thoughts'

_"pack communication"_

_**"alpha command"**  
_

It will be like that for the rest of the story.

* * *

**Kiba's Interlude P3: Sakon and Ukon**

Shino enjoyed the time he was able to spend with his best friend. It had been almost three years since they had seen each other. Keeping in touch via phone, email, and other forms of electronic communication just wasn't the same as being face to face. He couldn't wait until Kiba officially moved back to Konoha in a couple weeks.

Like Kiba, Shino was glad that they were both wolves. This way they could return to the relationship they had before Kiba's dad died and they left town. There would be no secrets, no odd behaviors, and no lying or excuses and that is just how both of them liked it.

As Shino and his dad neared Konoha, Shino felt the dread creep into his mind. He had left his pack for an entire month and he may or may not have forgotten to mention it to his alpha. He couldn't help it. His Alpha would have never let him go if he knew that he would be gone for a whole month.

Since he was not an alpha wolf, Shino was immediately inducted into the standing Alpha's pack of nine **(A/N: At this time Lee has shifted but Shika has not)**. His Alpha ruled with an iron fist. He was mean, cruel, and abusive towards the members of his pack. No one was appreciated, that is if the constant stream of abusive language was to be trusted. He was also lazy; he would force everyone else to do patrols except for himself and his Beta, who happened to be his twin brother. Needless to say, he wasn't very popular among the members of his pack, but what could they do? They weren't Alphas. Their Alpha might be an asshole but he was still stronger than the other members of his pack. So they waited in silent torment for someone to come along and usurp him.

Shibi picked up on his son's discomfort. He wished with all his heart that he could tear that asshole limb from limb, but, like Shino and the others, there was nothing he could do. Shibi, along with the rest of Kova's pack, had stopped shifting and retired from the supernatural world after his death. It was time for the next generation to take charge. He placed a comforting hand on Shino's shoulder, "It will be alright, son. Just a little longer and Kiba will be here to kick that guy's ass."

"I know, Dad. I know."

Shino sighed. They had pulled into their driveway in Konoha. Shino could sense that his alpha was just behind the line of trees. Shino winced internally. 'That's creepy. Well, I guess I better go get this over with.' With that thought in mind, Shino headed to the forest to be punished by his Alpha, Sakon.

* * *

Kiba let out a howl into the forests of Konoha. He knew that Shino's pack wouldn't recognize it and come to investigate. Shino had told him how shitty the current Alpha of Konoha was and Kiba was eager to kick some serious Alpha-wanna-be ass. So after he had finished putting the heaviest things into his family's new house, he told his mom that he was going to challenge the Alpha immediately. He didn't like it that Shino had to take orders from such an asshole.

Just like Kiba had predicted, a couple of wolves emerged from the trees into the clearing that Kiba had found. As a sign of respect, Kiba inclined his large, russet head, while being careful not to offer his neck to the other wolves. Kiba knew that they could tell that he was an alpha wolf and he wanted to show them that he wasn't here to hurt them. He watched as the two wolves looked at each other and then turned back to him. Kiba guessed that they understood his actions.

Kiba then shifted back and slipped a pair of basketball shorts on. Shino and Shibi had shown him the way to keep clothes tied around your foot so that you didn't have to carry them in your mouth. "I'd like to speak to your Alpha, if you don't mind calling him that is." Kiba kept his eyes trained on the two wolves, ready for anything that might happen. He watched as they looked at each other again. Turning away from each other, they both howled into the night. Kiba smiled. So far, this was going very well. "Thanks, guys."

* * *

Sakon awoke to the sound of some of the idiots in his pack howling. 'Fuck. What fucking time is it? 2 A.M.! Those fuckers better have a good reason for waking me up right now or there will be hell to pay. They should know better than to pull shit like this; he thought they would have learned from the mistakes of that guy… Shivo? Shako? Whatever his name was. I don't know what is going on with my pack lately, but they had better learn some manners and be quick about it.' With that, he grabbed a pair of shorts and jumped out the window with his twin brother, Ukon.

When Sakon arrived at the source of all the damn howling, he could see his entire pack there. Apparently he and his brother were the last to arrive.

"_What the fuck is going on? Do any of you fuckers realize what time it is?"_

"_This guy asked to talk to you, Alpha. He's an alpha too,"_ was the answer one of the idiots gave. **(A/N: Sakon makes the pack members call him "Alpha" to belittle them)**

Only then did Sakon notice the guy that they were referring to. He was waiting in human form while looking directly into Sakon's eyes, a direct challenge from one alpha to another. The expression on his face made it seem like he didn't have a care in the world. Then the fucker had the audacity to smirk. _"What? This piece of shit? An alpha? You've got to be fucking with me."_

"_It's true, Alpha. Smell the air if you don't believe me, sir."_

"_Watch your tone with me, bitch."_ Sakon then sniffed the air. Sakon's eyes widened at the strength of this alpha's scent. He could feel his wolf start to whimper and suddenly he found it difficult to keep this man's gaze. Sakon noticed that his eyes were just black slits. When that bastard had smirked at him, Sakon had noticed that his canines were both sharp and pronounced. His eyes and teeth, along with the wilderness that he supposed was Kiba's hair, made Kiba look more animal than man, even in human form. But Sakon's arrogance would not allow him to back down from this blatant challenge. Sakon walked up to this mystery Alpha.

* * *

Kiba watched in silence while the Konoha pack gathered in the clearing. Shino had told him that it was a large pack but he didn't expect this many. There were seven wolves here, already. He could see Shino standing on the outside of the clearing looking at Kiba. Kiba gave him a reassuring smile.

Kiba smelled him before he saw the Alpha approach. He watched in silence as the Alpha looked to one of the other wolves and then directly into Kiba's eyes, meeting Kiba's challenge. Kiba's wolf started to growl at the fact that this lower wolf was challenging him but Kiba managed to control it. He wanted to be respectful about this, after all. Kiba took his shorts off and shifted.

"_Who the fuck are you?" _Alpha wolves could project their thoughts to other alpha wolves. They didn't need a pack link to communicate with each other.

"_My name is Inuzuka Kiba. You must be Sakon. I'm sure you already know by now but I'm an alpha, too."_ Kiba studied the other Alpha. He was a white/silver-ish wolf with black spots. Kiba's russet wolf was slightly larger than Sakon. Kiba also noticed that Sakon's scent didn't have as much of a dominating tone as his own.

Sakon was also busy sizing Kiba up. He studied Kiba's muscular frame with a bit of apprehension, which Sakon quickly repressed. Sakon refused to be intimidated by this guy. Sakon felt a twinge of fear when he saw Kiba's eyes flash a bright, blood-red color when their eyes met but he quickly suppressed that as well. **(A/N: When Kiba's eyes flash they basically look like Naruto's Nine Tails eyes in the anime/manga)**

Kiba finally broke the silence. _"I'd like to formally challenge you for your position as Alpha of this pack and your hold on this territory."_

Sakon looked at him with the wolf equivalent of a scowl. _"I accept."_

"_Since you are the current Alpha and this is your territory, you can decide the when and where of our fight."_

Sakon growled at that. He didn't like this_ outsider_ telling him what he could and couldn't do. _"I'd like to get this over with now, actually."_

"_That's fine with me."_ Kiba thought this was all going quite well. He was glad that he wouldn't have to wait to kick this guy's ass.

The other wolves all backed up to give the two Alphas some room to fight. There was no need to establish rules for the fight. All alpha challenges were fought the same way: anything goes until one submits or dies. The two wolves allowed their inner wolves to take control and began to circle each other, both waiting for the other to strike first.

Always the impatient one, Sakon rushed forward and Kiba met him halfway. They met in a ferocious cacophony of growls, snarls, snaps, and yelps as they tossed and turned on the ground while trying to claw and bite at whatever they could reach. The other wolves watched in awe and slight fear. They had never seen two alphas clash like this. They could feel the slight tremors in the ground as one would try to shove the other to the ground.

This went on for several minutes and seemed as if it would go on forever until Sakon pinned Kiba to the ground and went for his exposed throat.

Somehow, Kiba managed to maneuver enough to bite down on one of Sakon's hind paws, effectively breaking it. This would limit Sakon's mobility greatly and give Kiba the advantage of speed in this fight.

Sakon yelped and quickly countered, racking his claws over Kiba's ear and down his left eye. Kiba let go of Sakon's paw with a yelp of pain. But Sakon made a mistake in using his non-broken hind paw in attacking. This caused him to lose balance and fall on his back.

Reacting quickly, Kiba lunged at Sakon and pinned him to the ground with his superior strength. Kiba latched his jaws around Sakon's exposed throat and bit down hard enough to start drawing blood.

"_**SUBMIT"**_

Not having a pack to command, Kiba had never given an alpha command before. But his wolf knew that he had won and it was time to show this lesser wolf who was in charge. Sakon's entire pack felt the overwhelming force of Kiba's command. The sheer intensity of it broke through their exclusive pack link; this only further solidified Kiba's victory in the minds of the pack. Kiba was their new Alpha. They instantly bared their necks to him and began to whimper in submission.

Sakon squirmed under Kiba's vice-grip on his throat. 'No, I can't lose. I'm the Alpha, dammit!' Sakon both heard and felt Kiba's command. He continued to struggle but his wolf had already given up. In fact, it was whimpering and begging Sakon to give in to his new Alpha, fearing Kiba's reaction should he continue to resist. When Sakon noticed this, he realized that he had lost. Kiba had won fair and square. Sakon allowed his body to go slack and completely bared his throat to Kiba in submission.

Kiba accepted Sakon's submission and released his grip on Sakon's throat. Kiba turned his back to Sakon to address the bulk of the pack as Alpha for the first time. '_My_ pack,' Kiba thought with a wolf smile.

* * *

Sakon might have submitted to Kiba, but inside he was seething. 'I couldn't have lost! There's no way! He must have cheated!' Sakon watched as Kiba turned around. Sakon knew this was his chance. He stood up and pounced on Kiba's back and bit down on the back of his neck as hard as he could.

Kiba felt Sakon land on his back and had about a second to begin to move. This second was long enough for Kiba to move just enough so that Sakon's attack on his neck was severely lessened. Kiba quickly threw Sakon off his back. 'Alright. I'm tired of your bullshit. This ends now!' Kiba didn't go into this fight planning on killing Sakon. He would have accepted Sakon's submission and welcomed him into his pack. However, this was crossing a line and Kiba would tolerate nothing of the sort. 'If he doesn't want to admit he lost and submit, fine.'

Kiba lunged at Sakon and they wrestled for a few seconds until Kiba managed to pin Sakon to the ground again. Wasting no time, Kiba took Sakon's throat into his powerful jaws and ripped it out. Sakon's body went slack and he fell over on his side, dead.

* * *

Ukon had watched the whole fight, knowing that his brother would win. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this new Alpha had no chance against his brother.

He was devastated when he saw Sakon admit defeat and had no choice but to submit when he heard Kiba's alpha command. But nothing could have prepared him for the pain that came with seeing his brother's throat ripped out right before your eyes. In a blind rage, uncaring about the consequences of his actions, Ukon rushed toward Kiba with murder on his mind.

Kiba saw the wolf coming to attack him. He already knew who it was. If the roles were reversed, Kiba knew that he would do the same thing. 'I'm tired of all of this bullshit.' Shino had told him some of the awful things that these two brothers said and did to those around him. He would tolerate it no longer.

_**"**__**Enough!"**_

Ukon felt the weight of another alpha command land upon him and he was forced to the ground. Unable to move, he continued to growl and snarl at Kiba as he made his way over to the paralyzed wolf.

Kiba pressed his paw down on Ukon's shoulder and gripped the back of his neck with his teeth. Kiba jerked his head and every wolf in the clearing heard the cracks of Ukon's vertebrae as Kiba snapped his neck.

Kiba turned to his new pack, _"Anyone have a problem with that?"_

No one did.

* * *

A/N: Please review


	8. With a Little Help from My Friends

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

* * *

**With a Little Help from My Friends**

Sakura had somehow managed to avoid Naruto for two whole weeks. She didn't know how it was possible. She mostly contributed this victory to the multitude of students that flooded the hallways in between classes and the fact that she started eating lunch in the girl's bathroom. She knew it was only a matter of time until he found her; she was only trying to postpone the inevitable. She wasn't ready to face him.

* * *

Naruto was so confused. He didn't know why Sakura was avoiding him like this. They were best friends… weren't they? He was most surprised, however, at the changes in her appearance. She looked awful. That wasn't the Sakura he knew. The Sakura he knew was beautiful.

He smiled. Naruto remembered when he had a giant crush on Sakura. He had gathered the courage to ask her out one time and she had given him a sweet smile in return. Her voice turned seductive and she asked him to come closer to her. Then she punched him so hard that the right side of his face was swollen for a week.

Naruto had made up his mind by then. Something was obviously wrong with Sakura and he intended to find out. He would go to her house tonight and confront her. She couldn't run from him forever.

* * *

Sakura's parents were working late that night so she had the entire house to herself. She planned to enjoy her evening watching movies. Her parents had left her some money for a pizza. Deciding that she was hungry, she called her favorite delivery place and requested a large supreme pizza with extra bacon. 'One can never have too much bacon,' she thought with a smile.

About twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Sakura quickly got off the couch and grabbed the money her parents left her. Opening the door, she said, "You're right on ti…"

It wasn't the delivery guy; Naruto was standing on her doorstep. He was looking at her with a serious expression on his face. "Hello, Sakura. You've been avoiding me, haven't you?"

Sakura was frozen. It never even crossed her mind that Naruto might come to her home. She didn't know what to do. Her mind was completely blank.

Naruto heard another car door shut and turned to see a pizza delivery guy walking up to the door. Naruto looked back at Sakura for a second until he noticed the money clutched in her hand. Noticing that Sakura was still in shock, Naruto grabbed the money out of her hand and paid the pizza guy. He took the pizza into Sakura's house, brought Sakura inside, and shut the door.

Realizing what was happening, Sakura started to freak out. 'No, no. Not now. This can't happen right now.' Sakura turned to Naruto, "Naruto, you have to leave. I don't want you here right now."

"Sakura, don't give me that bullshit. I'm not leaving this house until you tell me what is going on with you. Don't try to act like it's not true either. You wouldn't act like this unless something was wrong and I'm going to find out what it is."

Sakura couldn't look him in the eye. She turned away. "I don't know what you're talking about, Naruto. Nothing is wrong with me. Sometimes people change."

"Stop lying to me, Sakura. I _know_ something is wrong with you. It's not just how you look, it's how you act that's changed. You used to be surrounded by our friends all the time, but now they say that they haven't talked to you in months? I don't buy it. Not for a second. So, we're going to sit right here, eat this pizza, and talk. You're going to tell me what's wrong and I will do everything in my power to help. Got it?"

Sakura's eyes started to water. She wanted to tell him. She really did, but it was just so painful to relive those memories. She didn't know if she could do it, even with Naruto's help.

"Sakura, I don't know what happened, but it's obvious that it was something that really hurt you. You can't keep all of that bottled up forever. You want to be happy don't you? I certainly don't think you want to spend the rest of your life alone and in pain. Please, tell me what's wrong. You've really got me worrying about you."

Naruto was right. He was so right. Sakura had been like this for months, trying to push people away when she should have been holding them close. She had been in constant emotional turmoil and pain. She was so tired of it. She wanted to be happy again. She wanted her friends back. She wanted her _life _back because whatever hell she was in was anything but life.

Sakura couldn't take it anymore. All of this was too much. There were too many feelings flying around in her head and the look Naruto was giving her was only making it worse. Sakura finally broke down. Her walls had shattered. She had kept them up for months and Naruto tore them down in five minutes. Someone else might have been afraid of the effect that Naruto had on her, but Sakura knew that Naruto would shoot himself before he did anything to hurt Sakura.

Seeing the tears running down her face, Naruto quickly enveloped Sakura in the tightest hug he had ever given. He had never seen Sakura look so… defeated. Rubbing her back, he tried to calm her. "Shhh… it's ok. Everything's going to be ok, Sakura. I promise that it will get better. Maybe not tomorrow, or the next day, but someday, you'll be the Sakura I know and love. Wait, that's not true. You'll be even stronger than the Sakura I knew, because whatever this is can only make you stronger once you conquer it and I promise to be there for you every step of the way."

After a few minutes, Sakura finally calmed down. Naruto went to get her a slice of pizza. "Now that you've calmed down, why don't you eat something and then you can tell me what happened."

* * *

It took Sakura almost a week to tell Naruto what happened. She had to break it up into pieces because it was too painful to tell him all at once. Sakura eventually noticed that it didn't hurt as much to talk to Naruto. It was as if Naruto was somehow slowly absorbing all of her pain as she talked about it. She didn't really understand how this was happening but she didn't question it. If it helped her to overcome this, then she didn't care if Naruto danced around in a to-to. Naruto stayed with her for that entire week, besides school. Sakura's parents approved of Naruto and would do anything to get their daughter back to acting like herself instead of the stranger that she had become.

Naruto couldn't believe it. Sakura had to go through so much over the past few months and where was he? Out enjoying the sights without a care in the world, that's where. Naruto felt awful; he should have been there for her. If he was there maybe none of this would have ever happened. But Sakura would have none of that. She would not allow him to take the blame for her situation. She was too busy putting the blame on herself for Naruto to take it anyway. But, like Sakura, Naruto would not let her do that to herself either. Maybe that's why they worked so well together in times like this. They wouldn't let each other blame themselves, no matter what situation they were in.

* * *

Naruto knew that now was the time. She was ready. She might not know it, but he did. Even if she wasn't, he would be there to help her along the way. "Sakura, you've been so strong these last few months. Despite what happened, you've fought and struggled and now you've taken the first step to healing. But what you've been doing with your life has been wrong. It's time to stop pushing people away. You need all the support you can get if you want to truly overcome this. It's time to stop with the makeup thing too. You're just making yourself feel worse about this whole thing. You shouldn't be ashamed of who you are and you shouldn't try to hide it under a mask. I know this won't be easy, and we can take it slow if that's what you want, but I will be there to help you, just like I promised."

Sakura looked into those blue eyes and saw only truth in them. Naruto is right. She had been moping around, feeling sorry for herself for far too long. It was time to take her life back. "You're right, Naruto. I've handled this all wrong. I've been miserable these past few months and I'm so tired of it. It's time to change."

Naruto smiled. Sakura could be so strong and determined when she set her mind to something. When he looked into her eyes, he saw nothing but strength. Strength to fight for herself, for her own happiness. It was truly inspiring. "Now that sounds like the Sakura I know and love."

"Stay right here, Naruto. I'll be right back."

A few minutes later she returned with a large, black trash bag. With a smile on her face, Sakura said, "Come on, Naruto. It's time to get to work."

* * *

Sakura couldn't do this. Donating all of her terrible makeup and baggy clothes was one thing but this was completely different. It was too soon for this.

As she started to turn away, she felt a strong arm on her shoulder. "Sakura, it's ok. They won't hate you. They've been so worried about you, just like I have. I'm right here. There is nothing to be afraid of. You said you wanted to do this remember?" Naruto really was a blessing. A pain in the ass sometimes, but still a blessing.

A week had passed since Sakura finished telling Naruto her secret. In that week, Naruto had been so supportive and helpful with everything. He had been there when she gave up all the things that she was hiding behind. He was there when she went shopping for new clothes and makeup. She tried to regress back into the Sakura that covered herself but Naruto had helped her through it. Now she had normal clothes that better suited her looks and body, similar to the clothes that she wore in the past. She only bought a few makeup items such as mascara and eyeliner; things that would be used to enhance her naturally good looks, not cover them up. She didn't think she would ever be able to repay him for all that he has done for her over these past couple of weeks.

A few days ago she asked Naruto about her old friends. She missed them, she really did. She only pushed them away because she thought that they would hate her after they found out about her. She hated herself then, if she couldn't love herself then why should anyone else? She knew that Naruto had spent some time with them since he had returned to Konoha and she knew that they would have seen that Sakura and Naruto had been inseparable since he returned. He said that they had asked about her several times. They missed her just as much as she did them. Naruto didn't tell them anything about the secrets that Sakura had shared with him; he just told them that she had been going through some stuff. They were worried about her and asked Naruto to tell Sakura that they missed her.

Today, she wanted to see them. She would talk to them at lunch. Hopefully, they wouldn't turn her away, even if that is what she deserved. She had pushed them away, why would they welcome her back so suddenly? She just had to hope that they would understand.

That is how she found herself in this situation. It was easy to say that she had the courage to face them, but, now that she was standing at the doors to the cafeteria, she wasn't so sure.

Taking a deep, calming breathe, Sakura began to walk forward. 'I can do this; I can do this. They are my friends, after all. Naruto said that they missed me. I can do this.' Sakura felt like she was going to have a heart attack before she arrived at the table her friends were sitting at. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears and her mouth had suddenly gone dry. Summoning all of her courage, she found the will to speak, "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

* * *

Ino, Shino, Tenten, Neji, Hinata, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Lee were all sitting at their usual lunch table. When Shino had mated with Ino at the beginning of senior year, Kiba, Shikamaru, Shino, and Lee had integrated into Ino's group of friends.

Being a human, Tenten was the only one out of the supernatural loop. Neji and Hinata were both vampires. Neji had been hinting to Kiba that he wanted to tell her about him and the others but hadn't yet asked for permission. Neji may be a strong vampire but Kiba was an Alpha and intimidating as hell. Neji didn't really think Kiba would refuse; Neji loved Tenten and planned to be with her for the rest of his after-life. He hated that he had to lie to her when he would behave strangely.

They were all immersed in their everyday conversation, except for Shika who was asleep, when they heard her. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" Ino, Hinata, and Tenten tensed when they realized who had asked said question. They didn't expect her to actually show up and ask to sit with them. They hadn't spoken at all in months. For a second they sat there in shock, unable to react.

Surprisingly, Hinata was the one to answer her. "Uh… Sakura. Um.. the seat by me isn't taken and um… Naruto can sit in front of Shika…"

'Well, at least Hinata hasn't changed and it seems as though she doesn't hate me,' Sakura thought. Having nothing else to do, Sakura followed Hinata's advice.

* * *

Shino watched in silence as tension gathered in the air; it was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. 'Thank God, Lee has enough sense to be quiet. We don't need him going on about youth in a situation like this.' Shino wasn't friends with Sakura before her withdrawal from Ino's circle of friends but Ino had filled him in. He knew it wasn't his place to interfere.

* * *

Their conversation did not resume once Sakura and Naruto sat down. Sakura was looking at her lap, actively avoiding eye contact with everyone at the table.

If Sakura thought her nerves were bad before she sat down, she didn't have words to describe what they were like now. Every passing minute was more uncomfortable than the last, all of them passing in complete silence. No one was brave enough to break the silence. She heard someone take in a deep breath. 'I came here to apologize, didn't I? I can't just sit here and stare at my lap all day.' Taking a deep breathe, Sakura knew that she was the one that needed to break the silence. "So I know that this is kind of uncomfortable for all of us so I will make this quick. I know that I was the one that pushed you all away despite the opposition you presented. I just want you guys to know that I'm so sorry. I was wrong for doing that and I know that now. I went through some hard times over the past few months and I should have been holding you all close instead of pushing you away. I want you to know that I never stopped caring about you guys. To me, we are all still friends and I hope it is the same with you. Again, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior for the past few months and I hope that we can go back to the way we were someday, but if not then I understand. Thank you for your time."

As Sakura got up to leave, Ino spoke up, "Where the hell do you think you're going, Forehead? You think you can just walk away like that after not talking to us for months?"

Sakura's heart started to break as she turned around to face her former best girlfriend. Then she noticed the smile on Ino's face. She looked around the table. She noticed that most everyone had a smile on his/her face. "Guys…" Sakura's eyes started to water. She truly had the best friends in the world. After all she had done to get away from them, they still welcomed her with open arms.

"Oh stop with the water works, Forehead. This isn't a soap opera."

Never one to back down from one of Ino's challenges, Sakura quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Sorry, I just saw how you looked today, Ino-pig, and couldn't help but feel sorry for you."

"Oh please, Forehead. You're just jealous because I'm totally hot and you look like you just rolled around in a dumpster."

"If by "hot", you mean a hot damn mess then you're exactly right, Ino-pig. By the way, if I had been rolling around in a dumpster, I would look like you."

* * *

A/N: Please review.


	9. Let the Game Begin!

I don't own Naruto. As always, thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

**'Inner Sakura'** because it's not a Sakura fic without her!

In case you guys are confused or if you forgot here is a list of characters

Kiba: werewolf (Alpha); Sakura: human; Shino: werewolf (Beta); Ino: human mated with Shino; Lee: werewolf (3rd); Shikamaru: werewolf (4th); Naruto: human; Neji: vampire; Tenten: human dating Neji; Hinata: vampire

Now, to the moment you've all been waiting for!

* * *

**Let the Game Begin!**

Kiba hadn't heard a single word of their conversation. He had been too enraptured by Sakura. He had smelled the air when she walked up to the table by force of habit. He had been flirting with every girl he saw, ever since he had caught a whiff of _Her_ scent in the halls that day. He just needed an excuse to get close enough to see if any of them had _Her_ scent. So far, he had been unsuccessful but he was still determined.

Shocked didn't even come close to how surprised Kiba was when he realized that Sakura's scent matched _Her's_ perfectly. For a while, he couldn't do anything, not even breathe. He was still trying to decide if this was real. Had he really just found the woman he had been dreaming about for months? After making sure that he wasn't dreaming, Kiba took in the biggest breath of his life. She smelled even better up close. Closing his eyes, he took a minute to savor her wonderful fragrance, feeling his pants start to tighten. Kiba didn't care. He had waited for months for this moment. His wolf was howling in excitement at being so close to its chosen mate and urged Kiba to move even closer. Kiba was tempted but managed to restrain himself; jumping Sakura in front of everyone wouldn't help his cause.

Opening his eyes, Kiba looked at Sakura. He had heard that she had stopped wearing all of that shitty makeup the past week but he hadn't really seen her yet. It was no wonder that it took so long to track her down. They had no classes together and he rarely saw her in halls. Without all of that hideous makeup and clothing that she wore, Sakura was really beautiful. No, she wasn't beautiful. She was gorgeous. Her pink hair lightly dusted her shoulders and looked oh so soft. He couldn't help but want to run his hands through it. Her light skin looked so soft and warm and there wasn't a blemish on her face. Her bright, green eyes stood out nicely against her face. He gulped when his eyes raked over her neck; it was practically begging him to suck and bite all along it, leaving hickeys a-plenty in his wake. From what Kiba could see of her body, she had curves that looked as if they would welcome his waiting hands in only the best of ways. Kiba's mouth watered at the sight of her. 'Damn, she's beautiful.'

Kiba spent the rest of the lunch period looking at her, smelling that wonderful scent. He even forgot about his half-eaten lunch. He wanted so badly to be closer to her. He had waited for so long to meet her and now she was right before his eyes. Part of him still couldn't believe that this was really happening.

When the bell rang, Kiba had a moment of panic as he saw Sakura get up and walk away. Quickly gathering up his stuff, Kiba raced after her. 'Don't think you can get away from me so easily, Ms. Haruno.'

* * *

Kiba found her at her locker, exchanging her books. She was just about to close it when Kiba walked up behind her and grabbed onto her waist. He felt her tense and heard her heartbeat pick up. Ignoring this, Kiba pulled her closer to him and stuck his face in between her neck and shoulder and breathed in deeply. Kiba was several inches taller than her so he had to lean down but he didn't mind. "Sakura…"

Just as she was about to close her locker door, she felt two strong hands grab onto her waist and pull her into a muscular body. Then she felt this mystery person lean down into her neck and breathe deeply. Sakura was not comfortable with this at all. In fact, her breathing started to turn shallow and she felt like she was about to throw up. She didn't want this person to be so close to her. She wasn't ready for this kind of contact.

"Sakura, you smell so good. So… sexy."

"Kiba? What… what are you doing?" His voice was deep and husky. Sakura couldn't help but blush at his words even though she was still largely uncomfortable with his close proximity.

'**Who gives a crap what he's doing? Just tell him I want more!'**

'Where did you come from? And where have you been all these months?'

'**You tell me. You're the one that shut me out like everyone else in your life,'** Inner Sakura said.

"I couldn't help but notice how beautiful you looked today and I was hoping that you'd accompany me to dinner tonight."

'**Sweet baby Jesus! That voice could melt ice in Antarctica! HOT HOT HOT! Say yes. I swear to God if you don't say yes..'**

'Shut up. You know that after what happened we're not ready for a relationship.'

'**Who cares?! You don't just say 'no' when the hottest guy in school asks you out!'**

Inner Sakura had a point. Sakura had always thought that Kiba was sexy, like every other girl in school. But Sakura knew that Kiba was a playboy and she couldn't handle being hurt like that right now. She couldn't handle _any_ kind of relationship right now. "I'm sorry, Kiba, but I'm not really ready for a relationship right now."

Kiba growled at that. He had not come this far for her to reject him. He wouldn't back down so easily. "You wanna play hard to get, huh Sakura? That's fine. I like a good challenge." Kiba slowly licked along Sakura's neck. He growled again at the taste of her.

Sakura froze when Kiba growled at her. She never thought that something like that could be so… _sexy_. When she heard him speak in that husky voice and then lick up her neck, she felt her knees start to grow weak. If things continued like this she might fall flat on her face. She was quickly forgetting all her earlier discomforts in lieu of her arousal.

'**Dear Lord, just give the man what he wants!'**

Kiba chuckled against her neck. He could smell her arousal at his words and actions. It was heady and absolutely mouth-watering. He took in another deep breath. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'll respect your wishes but I can tell that, on some level, you want this. You can't make excuses forever and when that day comes, you _will_ go out with me. Until then, don't expect me to just sit around like some lap dog. I don't intend on making it easy for you to resist me. I'll see you around _Sa-ku-ra." _With that, Kiba placed a kiss on her neck and sucked lightly for a moment and then left without another word.

It took a moment for Sakura to collect herself after Kiba's departure. She didn't think she had ever experienced something so arousing. It was a good thing that she wasn't able to see his face. She had always had a thing for his teeth and that toothy grin that showed off his abnormally sharp canines.

'**You are so screwed.'**

'Tell me about it.'

* * *

A/N: Please review.


	10. Advice, Chance Encounters, and Decisions

Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows! I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Advice, Chance Encounters, and Decisions**

The incident with Kiba in the halls had been almost a week ago. Since then, Kiba had been almost a constant in Sakura's daytime activities. He even started sitting next to her during lunch. Before then, Sakura almost never saw him in the halls, but now it was like she couldn't get away from him. She tried to avoid him, but it seemed as though Kiba was hell-bent on staying as close to Sakura as possible. He would walk her to class, hold her hand, put his arm around her, and sit closer to her than he should. He had even taking a liking to showing up at her house, uninvited she might add, and just finding excuses to hang around like he owned the place!

Kiba was delivering in his promise to make it difficult for Sakura to resist. She was pretty sure that he was wearing tighter shirts to display his muscular chest. She was also pretty sure that he was sitting closer to her so that she would be forced to breath his scent as well as for him to better smell her. Damn, did he smell good. It was a sexy, masculine scent that made her cheeks heat up. Sakura also thought that it should be a crime for Kiba to wear his leather jacket. He was just too damn sexy in it. Inner Sakura would always turn into a pile of hormones at the sight.

A part of Sakura, especially Inner Sakura, liked all the attention that he was giving her. She had never been pursued with such persistence before. Even though she found it really creepy that he somehow found out where she lived, she actually liked spending time with him. He seemed to really want to know about her and that was a good feeling to Sakura. They got along really well for two people with short fuses.

Kiba was being a gentleman about all of this as well. He hadn't made another move toward her like the one in the hallway since then. Sure, he might hold her hand or something but if Sakura expressed her discomfort with it, he backed off. He had also asked her out to several dates over the past week but Sakura continued to make excuses for her refusal.

She was starting to really believe that Kiba was serious about her. That day in hall, she was sure that he just wanted to fuck her and then never talk to her again, like all the other girls before her. She didn't know how a playboy generally went about convincing girls to sleep with him, but she was quite certain that he didn't put a lot of effort into it; at least not as much as Kiba was showing her.

* * *

As luck would have it, she was able to talk to Shino about Kiba's behavior toward her. They were two of the smartest people in school; they were actually tied for second in their class, behind Shikamaru. So, they had a couple of classes together.

Shino and Sakura's Advanced Calculus teacher was out sick today so there was a substitute. 'This is the perfect opportunity to talk to Shino about Kiba,' Sakura thought. Turning to face him, Sakura said, "Hey, Shino."

Shino was surprised when Sakura turned to talk to him. People rarely talked to him outside of the pack because they thought he was weird. Turning to face her as well, Shino raised an eyebrow over his ever-present sunglasses, "Hello, Sakura." He already knew what this conversation was about. Of course, he had noticed the drastic change in Kiba's behavior. Kiba had told him a few days ago that Sakura was the girl he had been dreaming about but that she continually rejected his advances.

"Um… I don't mean to be rude, but I was hoping I could talk to you about Kiba. He's been acting rather… strange lately."

"Yes, I've noticed that. He seems to fancy you quite a lot these days, doesn't he?" Shino wouldn't dare tell her that Kiba had been dreaming about her for months. She might call the mental hospital.

"Yeah, it seems that way. I was just wondering if you could tell me how he would um… how he would get the other girls to sleep with him."

"Ever since Kiba moved back to Konoha, girls have been practically throwing themselves at him so it was never too hard for Kiba to get one of them to sleep with him." Shino thought for a minute. "Sakura, I may be making assumptions here but you're worried that you might be hurt by Kiba's womanizing ways, aren't you?"

Sakura nodded. She didn't think she was being _that_ obvious.

"Relax, Sakura. It's only natural to try to guard your heart like that and I don't think anyone will blame you for it. Kiba might not have the best track record with women, but I know for a fact that he never spent more than five minutes trying to get them to do what he wanted. He has never pursued someone with such determination before. He never even asked any of those women out on a date and from what Kiba tells me, he has asked you out multiple times. I can assure you that, to Kiba, you're not someone whom he will sleep with and then never talk to again. He really likes you, Sakura; really, _really _likes you and I know that if you gave him a chance, you both could be very happy together. You might say that it's too sudden but, as some would say, the heart wants what the heart wants and if there is one thing I know about Kiba these days, it's that his heart, not just his dick, wants you."

"Oh. Thanks, Shino."

"Anytime, Sakura."

Sakura bit her lip. That conversation didn't end in her favor at all. She had hoped that Shino would tell her that she was being treated like all those other girls. At least that would make it easier for her to resist Kiba's many advances. With this information, she didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't even understand her own feelings. A growing part of Sakura wanted to say yes to Kiba but the other part was holding her back. She shouldn't be feeling like this so soon after what happened. She was still trying to piece her life back together. It hadn't even been a week since she had reunited with her friends. She wasn't ready for a boyfriend yet, was she?

* * *

Naruto didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit. Kiba's behavior toward Sakura was wildly inappropriate. Sakura was not ready for a relationship and even if she was, which she's not, she could do way better than _Inuzuka Kiba_. Even saying the name made him angry. Naruto would not stand for this. The only reason he has tolerated it this long is because he was certain that Sakura would turn him down and Kiba would move on to the next girl. Naruto might not have been in Konoha for very long, but even he had heard of Kiba's recent dealings with the women of Konoha High. Sakura did not need someone like that. Naruto was certain that Kiba would end up hurting her and then where would they be? Right back where they started, that's where.

Naruto didn't know why Sakura didn't punch Kiba in the face. He was sure that Sakura didn't want him hanging around her all the time. What did _Kiba_ have that Sakura wanted? 'She must be too nice to tell him 'no'. Yeah, that's got to be it.' Well, Sakura might not be willing to get Kiba to back off, but Naruto sure as hell wouldn't let anyone walk all over his best friend. Kiba might think he rules the school but things were about to change. 'The next time he makes a move on Sakura, I'll punch his lights out,' Naruto thought with a sadistic smile.

* * *

'Why the fuck can't I sleep?!' Here it was, at one o' clock in the morning, and Sakura couldn't sleep. It wasn't like the nights where she couldn't sleep because of the nightmares. In fact, she hadn't had a nightmare in weeks. No, it was just a regular sleepless night apparently.

'**It's because you're too busy thinking about Mr. Sexy Pants.'**

'Shut up.' Inner Sakura was right. Sakura couldn't get her conversation with Shino out of her head, no matter how hard she tried and damn, did she try hard. She tried everything from thinking about her classes to singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." Sighing, Sakura got up, put on some clothes and grabbed her journal. Then she opened her window and climbed down her house and walked into the forest.

Sakura would sometimes wander around in the forest after her nightmares. It sure beat sitting around waiting for another to happen. She would take her journal to write down her feelings. Writing her feelings would often help her sort through them and figure out what she really wanted. If Sakura ever need to sort through some feelings, it was now. She was so confused about what she was going to do about Kiba.

The forest behind Sakura's house was connected to the larger forest that surrounded Konoha but it was located in the middle of town. Sakura had a clearing that she loved to go to in, what she guessed was, the middle of the 'mini-forest,' as Sakura liked to call it. Approaching the clearing, Sakura began to feel uneasy. This was unusual because she had never felt apprehensive about the forest, even on her first trip into its depths. Shaking it off as nerves, Sakura continued onward.

She immediately noticed it when she arrived at her favorite clearing. How could she not? The thing was huge. She couldn't believe her eyes. She didn't even think that they had wolves in the forests of Konoha.

She was staring at a humongous, brown wolf that was lying down, seemingly asleep. One might think that she would be filled with fear at the sight of the obviously dangerous creature,, but she was filled with curiosity instead. She didn't feel as though this wolf might hurt her. Besides, Sakura couldn't imagine that humans were a very good snack anyway. They didn't have anywhere near as much meat as other animals, such as deer, had. She cautiously approached it. She might be curious, but she wasn't stupid. Sakura's heart stopped beating when she felt the snap of a twig under her feet. 'Of all the times to live a cliché!'

* * *

Nara Shikamaru was awoken by the sound of a twig snapping. Unfortunately for him, wolves were light sleepers. Shika knew that Kiba told him not to sleep while doing patrols, but they were just too troublesome. Besides, the other two wolves on duty could handle it. It's not like anything happened in Kiba's territory anyway. All nearby supernatural beings knew how strong Kiba and his pack were. Plus, he had an entire family of powerful vampires, the Hyugas, as allies. The only real threat to Kiba was the neighboring pack in Suna, but Kiba had a tentative alliance with their Alpha, Gaara. So Shika didn't think it was too big of a deal that he slept during his patrol.

Looking for the source of the disturbance that woke him up, Shika's eyes fell upon Sakura. 'Damn troublesome woman.' She looked scared shitless. Shika just sat there looking at her for a minute. After a while of neither of them moving, Shika closed his eyes again, intent on going back to sleep.

After the wolf closed its eyes again, she tentatively started to move toward the wolf again.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Sakura found herself propped up against the brown wolf, writing in her journal. The wolf had allowed her to pet it for a few minutes before Sakura sat down and leaned on the wolf's side. She couldn't believe the wolf was so apathetic towards her. The wolf hadn't even opened its eyes again. She guessed that it had fallen asleep again.

'This has got to be the laziest wolf on Earth. He didn't even move!' Sakura couldn't help but compare this wolf to Shikamaru.

After writing for about half an hour, Sakura looked over at what she had written. She hated it when Inner Sakura was right. Everything she had written over the past half hour had to do with Kiba. Reading over what she had written lead Sakura to an epiphany. 'I'm trying to get over all of my pain, am I not? Didn't I say that I was tired of my pain controlling my life? I didn't let it get in the way of reuniting with my friends so why am I letting it get in the way of my possible relationship with Kiba?'

** 'Finally! I've been trying to tell you that all week!'**

'No, you haven't. You've been trying to tell me to let Kiba get in my pants or vice versa.'

** 'Same difference.'**

Sakura had come to a decision. She would ask Kiba how he really felt about her. Depending on his answer, she would agree to go out on a date with him. She refused to let the past control her life for another second.

**'Hallelujah! Mr. Sexy Pants, here I come!'**

'Oh hush.'

* * *

A/N: Please Review.


	11. And When We Kiss

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

* * *

**And When We Kiss... **

Kiba was trying to be respectful towards Sakura. He really was doing his best. But Sakura was just being so damn stubborn. He could tell that she wanted to say yes but whatever previous hurt she had been through was holding her back. He could see in her eyes the confusion she was feeling. Kiba wouldn't even dream of hurting her. He'd kill his own mother before he did that.

Kiba couldn't wait anymore. He had to be near her. He needed her close more than he needed his next breath. Whenever he wasn't near her, he felt alone, even if he was surrounded by all of his friends. Whenever he wasn't close to her or couldn't see her, his wolf was howling for her. Sometimes it would be so bad that he would be forced to go find her, sometimes even in the middle of the night. There were several times when he would find himself under her window in wolf form. He knew that it was incredibly creepy but he didn't sleep very well without being near her, smelling that intoxicating aroma. It gave his wolf comfort to know that his mate was both safe and near.

* * *

One victory he had made on the Sakura front was that she didn't reject his presence as much. She would at least allow him to be close to her. Kiba was glad to know that they got along really well. Mating isn't perfect, even if on the surface it may seem like it. The human part of a werewolf doesn't have to accept what the inner wolf wanted. After all, it is the human part that decides who to mate with. Most werewolves, however, choose to embrace the mate that the wolf wants because the wolf makes excellent choices. Furthermore, all the problems that humans encounter in their relationships still apply to relationships born out of mating, except for cheating. If werewolves were anything towards their mates, they were loyal. Mating may be for life but it isn't always sunshine and rainbows.

As for Kiba's situation, his wolf always wanted to be near Sakura. His wolf was addicted to her. But Kiba found that he, the human part, wanted to be near her as well. The wolf sees its mate more as an object or a possession than an actual person or significant other. The mate is there to ground the wolf to something; to give it something to fight for, to protect, and, most of all, to make babies with. The human part of a werewolf is responsible for the love that is shared between two mates. Kiba was finding out that his human half really, _really_ wanted Sakura to go out with him. The more Kiba got to know her, the more he wanted to know about her. He genuinely enjoyed her presence; it wasn't just to appease his wolf. Kiba didn't think he loved her… yet, but he was certainly on his way.

* * *

Once again, Kiba found Sakura at her locker. Walking up to her, he lightly tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. When she turned around, Kiba looked into those beautiful, green eyes. In them, he saw even more confusion than she usually had when she was around him. "What's wrong, Sakura?" Kiba didn't like it that his mate wasn't having an easy time dealing with her feelings.

"Hey, Kiba. Um… Do you… Do you mind if I ask you a serious question?"

Kiba felt nervous, afraid, and excited all at the same time. He didn't know what she wanted to ask him. He hoped that whatever answer he gave would finally convince her to go out with him but he couldn't help but be afraid that she would reject him. "Uh… Sure, Sakura. Anything."

Sakura bit her lip. Kiba couldn't help but think of how cute she looked when she did that. 'No, focus Kiba. Get your head in the game or you're gonna blow it.'

"How do you feel about me, Kiba? Part of me wants to believe that you mean it when you say that you want to go out with me and when you say that I'm beautiful or that I smell good but part of me also is deathly afraid of getting hurt. If you're going to treat me like those other girls then this needs to stop right now. I can't handle being hurt like that right now. I need you to be serious with me, Kiba. If you're just looking for a good fuck then you need to tell me, even if you think it might hurt my feelings."

Kiba was shocked. He hadn't expected any of what Sakura had just asked.

Sakura gave him a minute to answer. Still seeing the shocked expression on his face, she assumed the worst. "Oh." She couldn't think of anything to say. She felt her eyes start to water. 'No, I won't let him see me cry.' She started to walk away.

Seeing her start to walk away brought Kiba back to reality. Then he heard it. A sniffle. Kiba's heart broke. She was crying and he caused it. 'I'm such an idiot. Why did I freeze up like that?' Kiba rushed after her, grabbed her, spun her around, and kissed her with everything he had, trying to convey all of his emotions in his kiss. He wouldn't let her walk away from him without letting her know how he felt.

Sakura couldn't believe it. She was sure that Kiba would have told her that he still wanted her like he had from the beginning. She didn't know why she felt so hurt when he just stood there. She didn't know why she was crying over him either.

The next thing she knew, a strong hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Then she felt a warm pair of lips envelop her's in the most passionate kiss she had ever felt. Then she realized who was kissing her. 'Kiba…'

'**Good Lord, that man is talented!'**

Not feeling her respond to his kiss, Kiba backed up, breaking the kiss. He looked at her face as she was crying.

"Kiba, what are you doing? You don't care about me. Why woul-"

Kiba interrupted her. He couldn't let her say things like that. "How could you think I don't care about you, Sakura? How could you even compare yourself to all those other girls? There is no comparison; at least, not one that I can see. Sakura, you are on a level all your own. Not only are you more beautiful than all of them put together but are also more amazing on the inside than any of them could ever hope to be. I never even learned any of their names, Sakura. I think I know almost as much about you as I do about Shino, and I've known Shino since our moms were pregnant. I thought I was showing you that you are the only woman I want. I want to date you, Sakura. Really date you, like dinner and the movies and crappy Valentine's Day cards and everything else. Haven't you noticed that I haven't even looked at another girl since I asked you out the first time? I would never dream of hurting you, Sakura. I'd rather skin myself. I'm sorry I didn't respond right away. You just surprised me. I'm generally not very good with all of this feelings stuff but if there is one thing I know, it's how I feel about you." Kiba waited for her reaction, looking into her eyes.

Sakura listened to his entire speech. She never imagined that he would feel that strongly about her. She was silently thanking every god she could think of that he ran after her. She felt confident that Kiba wouldn't hurt her but she had one final test for him to pass. "Kiss me."

"What?" Man, this woman really knew how to throw Kiba's game off.

Sakura looked directly into those animal-like eyes, suppressing a shudder at the intense gaze he was giving her. "Kiss me," she repeated.

Kiba needed no further incentive. He kissed her again with just as much passion as the first; he was actually trying to put more into this kiss. He was trying to show her that what he said wasn't just a bunch of words but that he really meant them.

Sakura was getting lost in his kiss. Damn, Inner Sakura was right. This man was talented! She could feel all of his emotions in his kiss and she felt confident that he meant every word of his romantic speech.

**'AND WHEN WE KISS OOOH FIRE!'**

Both of them were so wrapped up in the other that they didn't sense his approach until they were forcefully pulled apart. "What the fuck is going on?!"

* * *

A/N: Please review.


	12. Meeting the Alpha Wolf

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

* * *

**Meeting the Alpha Wolf**

When Naruto saw them, he saw red. He couldn't believe his eyes. Inuzuka Kiba was _kissing_ Sakura. What was he thinking? Sakura was in no way ready for anyone to be kissing her, much less _Inuzuka Kiba_.

More importantly, what was Sakura thinking? She knows better than anyone what she went through over the past few months. He couldn't fathom why she would be letting Kiba kiss her. It could only end in disaster for Sakura.

He raced down the hall toward them. He would be damned before he let Sakura get hurt again. They didn't see him approach. He quickly grabbed them both and ripped them apart, bringing Sakura against his chest.

"What the fuck is going on here?!"

"Naruto, what are you-"

"Sakura, I can't believe you would let this asshole take advantage of you like that! What are you thinking?"

"Naruto, you don't know what you're talking about. I asked Kiba to-"

"Speaking of that asshole, Kiba…" Naruto turned to face Kiba. "What the hell… were… you…" Naruto was afraid of the expression on Kiba's face. Kiba was looking at Naruto with murder in his eyes. "Uh, Sakura? What's his deal? He's looking at me kinda weird."

Sakura looked at Kiba. She had never seen so much rage in a person's eyes before. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she'd say that his eyes were glowing. 'Wait a minute. There is no way that is a trick of the light. His eyes are actually glowing red? What is going on here?'

Naruto was starting to become frightened. Kiba was looking angrier by the second and he could swear that his eyes were glowing but that was impossible.

* * *

Kissing Sakura was the best. This was only Kiba's second time kissing her but he was hooked. He didn't think he could survive an entire day without kissing her. Normally, he could have heard Naruto's thunderous footsteps a mile away but he was too enraptured by Sakura's pillow-soft lips that tasted like heaven. He only registered that he was torn away from the object of his affection.

Kiba's wolf instantly reared its head. It was furious at being torn from its mate that had finally accepted him. The wolf didn't recognize Naruto as Sakura's overprotective friend; the wolf only knew that someone had taken it away from its mate. His wolf wanted blood. This intruder had separated them and he would pay. Kiba was fighting with all that he had to control the wolf so that he didn't kill Naruto in the hall. He was fighting a losing battle. His control wouldn't last very long and if Naruto knew what was good for him, he would be far, far away.

* * *

Shino was talking to Shikamaru, Lee, and a couple other members of the pack when he heard it. Growling. It was loud and aggressive. This growl was a warning for everyone to leave or someone would die. Only one person could possibly have a growl that held so much power. Kiba would have to be furious for something like that to escape his lips. He figured it would have something to do with Sakura. He didn't know what but someone needed to hold Kiba back before he killed someone. Shino looked toward the source of the growling. Kiba was giving the scariest death glare in history toward Naruto, who was clutching Sakura to his chest. Both Naruto and Sakura looked like they were about to piss in their pants. 'Oh shit.' It was far worse than Shino had imagined. This was a jealous, possessive Kiba that wanted to kill someone, which was far worse than an angry Kiba.

Reacting quickly, Shino turned to the other members of their pack. "Ok guys. We have got to hurry before Kiba goes berserk and kills someone. Jason, you get Naruto. Make sure you cover his mouth and get him away from Sakura at all costs. I'm sure he's the cause of all this. Shika, Lee, and Kol, you guys need to hold back Kiba for as long as possible. I'm sure that he's nearing the end of his control. I'll try to convince Sakura to calm him down. At this point, she's the only one that can keep him from killing someone. Go!"

They all raced toward their destinations. Jason grabbed Naruto and immediately began backing up. Naruto resisted but he was no match for the strength of a werewolf. Shika, Lee, and Kol pushed Kiba up against a wall of lockers; they had to use all their strength. Kiba was fighting them. They had to force themselves to push on and not whimper in submission to their Alpha's aggressiveness. They could not allow Kiba to kill an innocent human. It took all of their combined strength to keep him against that wall.

Shino showed up in front of Sakura. "Sakura, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Kiba is about three seconds from ripping Naruto's throat out. You are the only one that can calm him down and you must hurry. We can only hold him back for so long. If you want Naruto to live past the next five minutes, you must do as I say. Kiba might say some things that don't make sense but just go along with it."

* * *

Sakura didn't understand some of the things that Shino said but she could hear the urgency in his voice. Shino wouldn't act like that if he wasn't serious. Looking at Kiba, she was scared. She trusted Shino but still… Kiba looked like he would turn into some kind of monster any minute. His eyes were still glowing that bright red color and now that she looked at him, it looked as if his teeth were growing longer, sharper. The growls he was emitting were thunderous and full of unbridled rage.

She cautiously approached him. He was baring his teeth like an animal and his eyes were locked on Naruto, who was still being dragged away. She could tell that Shikamaru, Lee, and that other guy were doing their best to keep Kiba against the wall. "Kiba? It's me, Sakura," Sakura felt like she was trying to talk to an animal. Kiba's eyes immediately zeroed on her and she froze.

In his eyes, she saw it. A wolf. A large, russet wolf and it looked even angrier than Kiba. It was growling and snapping, showing off its sharp fangs. She was brought out of her frozen state by the most menacing voice that she had ever heard. It seemed as if the wolf that she was seeing in Kiba's eyes was speaking directly to her.

_**"Mine"**_

She didn't know how she knew, but she knew that the wolf was talking about her. "Yes, your's." She followed Shino's advice and went along with what Kiba was saying. She didn't understand half of what was happening but she knew that something bad would happen if she didn't do as Shino had instructed.

After a minute had passed, Kiba's wolf repeated himself. It had stopped growling but was still baring its fangs at her.

_**"Mine"**_

"Your's," she repeated. She moved closer to Kiba. By this time, Kiba had stopped resisting the pack members that were holding him against the wall. They eventually backed away, not wanting to come between their Alpha and his mate. Sakura reached up and cupped his cheek, rubbing against his crimson markings. This seemed to calm down the wolf even more. Now it was simply staring at Sakura.

"Mine." This time it was Kiba's voice that spoke. It was no longer the voice that made her want to shake and cower in fear.

"Your's." She watched as the wolf slowly faded away in Kiba's eyes. Then they eventually stopped glowing. His teeth reverted back to normal size. Looking at his hands, she noticed that there were claws where his fingernails should be and they were slowly receding as well. Kiba growled and they locked eyes again.

Kiba blinked a few times. "Sakura…" His hand reached up to caress her cheek, just as she was doing to him.

"Kiba, what just happened?"

Kiba tensed at her question. 'Oh shit. I totally just lost my cool right in front of her.'

Seeing Kiba's expression started to worry Sakura. She didn't know what to think about what just happened. She started thinking about Kiba's behavior just now and about Kiba in general. Then it hit her. The growling, the eyes, the teeth, the claws, how he was constantly smelling her, and, most of all, the wolf she had seen in his eyes. Her thoughts drifted to the wolf she had seen last night. No, that wasn't accurate. _Werewolf_. Sakura gulped. 'Kiba's a werewolf.' Suddenly, she didn't feel so safe around Kiba anymore.

Kiba watched as realization spread across Sakura's face. 'Oh shit. She figured it out.' Then she ran down the hall, toward the school's exit closest to the student parking lot. 'She must be going to her car. She's probably scared shitless. Damn. This is not how I wanted this to happen.' Turning to his pack mates, Kiba said, "Good work, guys. Sorry about that. I lost my cool when Naruto broke us apart." His packmates nodded. They were still kind of afraid to talk to Kiba. They had never seen their Alpha display such rage and aggressiveness. Usually, Kiba maintained good control on his wolf. They had never seen him lose it like that.

'Speaking of Naruto…' Kiba walked over to him and looked him dead in the eyes, letting them flash for a second. "You got lucky today, Uzumaki," Kiba growled out. Kiba may be in control again, but he was still angry at Naruto for breaking apart the best kiss of his life. "Try shit like that again and I'll rip out your teeth." Naruto nodded hurriedly. Kiba could practically taste the fear radiating off Naruto. Kiba was satisfied that Naruto wouldn't come between himself and Sakura again.

Kiba left to catch up to his mate.

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A/N: Please review


	13. What a Way to Go

I don't on Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

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**What a Way to Go**

By the time she arrived at her car, Sakura was hysterical. She couldn't believe that she let a werewolf kiss her. Twice. 'But damn does that man have a talented mouth.' She was also afraid. 'What if he just wanted to eat me this entire time? I know that other wolf that I saw didn't but that look in Kiba's eyes… Speaking of that other wolf, I wonder who it is. I'm assuming that Kiba is the russet wolf that I saw in his eyes. Does that mean that there is more than one werewolf in the school?' That thought made Sakura both more afraid and more curious. She wanted to know more about these 'werewolves' that have integrated into society. She also wanted to know if there were more than just werewolves. 'Is it possible that vampires exist too? Fairies? Ghosts?'

Sakura didn't know what to do about Kiba anymore. She had been so sure while they were kissing. It had felt so good and so right. But she didn't know if she could handle being the girlfriend of a werewolf, assuming that Kiba was going to date her and not eat her.

* * *

She was about to open her car door when she heard him speak.

"Hello, Sakura."

Her heart skipped a beat and then started beating rapidly. She was afraid. After Kiba's display earlier, she didn't know if she was safe around Kiba. "Kiba…" Sakura didn't know what to say. 'What do you say when you see your werewolf kinda-sorta-boyfriend almost kill your best friend in the hall?'

**'You keep kissing him that's what!'**

Kiba walked up to her; he heard the way her heart reacted when he spoke up. He needed to show her that he was the last person that she needed to fear. "Sakura, I'm sorry about earlier."

"You're a werewolf, aren't you?"

Kiba smiled. He was right. She did figure it out. He walked up to her and turned her to face him. He heard her heart speed up again. He lifted his hand and stoked her cheek. "Beautiful and smart. I knew there had to be something behind that pretty face of your's."

Sakura looked at his toothy grin. She wanted to kiss him again. Those were the two best kisses of her life. She was still afraid, but damn, if Kiba wasn't taking care of that. "Are you going to eat me?"

Kiba laughed at that. "No, Sakura. I'm not going to eat you. I'll make you a deal, Sakura. Go on a date with me tonight and I'll answer any question that you may have."

Sakura thought it over for a minute. She didn't think Kiba would lie to her but why would you tell someone that you were going to eat them? She looked up at him to see that he was still smiling. Sakura gave him a small smile too. "Deal."

Kiba grinned wider at that. "Excellent." He leaned down to kiss her again and damn, was his life great. Breaking the kiss, Kiba put his mouth to her ear, "I'll see you later, _Sa-ku-ra_. Be sure to wear something sexy tonight. I look forward to it." Kiba licked her ear and lightly blew on it until she shivered. He flashed her a smug, satisfied grin before leaving.

Once again, Sakura needed to take a minute to collect herself. 'That man is going to be the death of me.'

**'But what a way to go!'**

For once, Sakura had to agree with her inner self.

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A/N: Please review


	14. A Night of Feels

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

* * *

**A Night of Feels**

Kiba knocked on Sakura's door. It was time for their date. Kiba could hardly wait for her to answer the door. It had been so hard to wait all afternoon for this. He was going to take her to one of the nicest restaurants in Konoha; he had managed to get last minute reservations. He wanted to make a good first impression.

Sakura heard Kiba's knock. She had just finished her hair and was about to put her shoes on. Deciding not to make him wait, she went to open the door.

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up at the sight of him. He was in a pair of black slacks that fit just right on his hips and made him look oh so tall. His red button-up shirt matched his face markings perfectly and accentuated his muscular chest. Best of all, he was wearing that sexy grin that was his trademark. Blushing, Sakura urged him to come in silently, afraid that her voice would fail her.

**'And I thought he couldn't get any sexier.' **Inner Sakura was currently fanning herself.

Kiba's heart skipped several beats when he saw her. She looked amazing. She only had light makeup around her eyes which made them seem even bigger and brighter. Her pink hair had soft, subtle curls that looked wonderful against her light, soft skin. Her neck was exposed, free of any jewelry that might hinder his journey across it. His mouth started to water. Her light purple dress hugged her curves in the most maddeningly sexy way and the black belt she wore complimented her slender waist. Her long, fair, smooth legs looked oh so delicious. He was slightly disappointed at not seeing a sexy pair of flats on her feet but it was far from him to complain about her appearance. She looked absolutely amazing.

Seeing the blush on her face made his grin widen. He accepted her invitation into her house. Then he handed her the flowers that he had bought for her.

"Thanks, Kiba. Who would have guessed that you were a gentleman?"

"Only the finest for a lady such as yourself." Kiba grinned again. He moved closer and grabbed onto her waist, leaned down, and kissed her. 'Yeah, I definitely have a new favorite pastime.' Breaking the kiss, Kiba leaned into her neck and breathed deeply, "You look beautiful tonight, Sakura."

Sakura was disappointed when Kiba broke their kiss. She thoroughly enjoyed them, even if that was only their fourth kiss. She smiled at his compliment, "Thanks. You look quite handsome, yourself. Let me go put my shoes on and then we can go."

Still holding onto her, Kiba smirked. "Hmm… I don't know. I think I might just keep you here so I can kiss you all night. Decisions, decisions…"

"Kiba, you ass. You're the one that asked me out and now you don't even want to leave? And what will I do with the new shoes I bought this afternoon?" She lightly punched him on the arm.

"Were you thinking of me when you bought them?" He leaned into her ear when he whispered this.

Shivering lightly at his tone, Sakura nodded.

"Then I'll definitely have to see them." With that, Kiba let her go, admiring her firm ass as she went to her room. 'Damn, I'm a lucky bastard.'

* * *

Nothing could have prepared Kiba for the sight that greeted him when Sakura returned. 'Oh, fuck me…' Kiba thought. Previously, he thought that a nice pair of flats would best compliment her outfit. He changed his mind when he saw her walk back into the living room in a pair of tall, black, drop-dead-sexy heels. The heels made her already long legs seem as if they went on for miles. Kiba felt his pants start to tighten. He quickly walked up to her, roughly grabbed her, and kissed her with every bit of his intense arousal. It took him a minute because her kisses always left his mind blank, but he noticed that she was almost the same height as him in those heels. At her soft moan, he had to break the kiss before he would be forced to bend her over the nearest piece of furniture and take her.

"God damn, Sakura," he said in a breathless tone.

"See? If you had kept me here earlier then you wouldn't have had the chance to ogle my ass or look at my sexy new shoes, now would you?" Sakura had a satisfied smirk on her face. She had seen his reaction when she walked into the room and it gave her a much needed confidence boost. If that wasn't enough to convince her of his approval of her appearance, the kiss he just gave her sure as hell did. 'Damn, that was hot.' She knew for a fact that Inner Sakura still hadn't recovered from it.

"We should probably go before you bust a nut in your pants, Kiba."

"Oh… right." Kiba said in an embarrassed tone. He had taken another moment to stare at her and she had called him out on it. With that, he led her out the door and to his car.

* * *

When they arrived at the restaurant, Sakura couldn't believe that Kiba had taken her to somewhere so expensive. He merely grinned and said that she was worth every cent and more.

After they sat down, Kiba was the first one to speak. "So how did you figure out I was a werewolf?"

"Well, when I walked up to you while you were freaking out and you looked me in the eyes there was a large, russet wolf in them. He looked absolutely furious, even more furious than you looked. It was growling and snapping wildly. And then when you spoke it was more like the wolf in your eyes was speaking and it was like it was speaking directly to me. I also noticed that your teeth had started to grow longer and sharper. After you had calmed down, I noticed that you had claws where your fingernails should have been. I watched you as all of these things disappeared. After you had calmed down, I started thinking about what just happened and I just had an 'ah ha' moment. Suddenly, all of your weird behavior made sense. How you are always smelling me, the growling, your teeth, the claws, and especially your eyes."

"I guess all of that stuff did make it kind of obvious, didn't it?"

"Yeah. So, first question: are there more werewolves? If so, who are they?"

"Shino, Shikamaru, Lee, and eight others are all in my pack."

"Your pack? That would make you a-"

"An alpha wolf, yes." Kiba looked her dead in the eyes and his voice turned seductive, "You should consider yourself lucky, Sakura. You get to play with the _big, bad wolf." _Kiba's sentence ended in a low, sexy growl complimented with an arrogant smirk that caused one of his fangs to poke out of his lips.

She knew it was a terrible cliché and she would be ashamed if she had said it, but Kiba said it with such confidence and masculinity that Sakura couldn't help but shudder at his words.

**'Sweet Lord, have mercy on my soul!'**

"So next question: are there any other mythical creatures?"

"Yes. In the Konoha area there are werewolves, vampires, witches, and trolls. Everything but the trolls is kind of a universal thing but trolls are native to this region. Vampires tend to stick to the cities to blend in. Neji, Hinata, and the rest of the Hyuga's are vampires. Witches don't really have a stereotypical hideout setting. Who knows what other kind of supernatural beings exist elsewhere?"

Their conversation blossomed from there. Kiba told her about claiming territories and that Konoha was his territory, shifting for the first time, his fight with Sakon, the inner wolf, pack dynamics, about being born a wolf versus bitten, the relationship between supernatural beings and the sun and moon, and patrolling. He wanted to tell her about mating but he wasn't sure how she would react. 'What if she doesn't want me anymore?' Kiba didn't know what he would do if that happened.

Sakura was taking all of this in stride. She found it both fascinating and amazing that so much existed beyond the life of an ordinary human. She was very glad, indeed, that she agreed to go out with Kiba. She still had two important questions that she wanted to ask.

"Kiba, is there a large brown wolf in your pack?"

"Yeah, it's Shikamaru and, for a wolf, he isn't that large. I'm the biggest, being that I'm the Alpha. How did you know that?"

Sakura bit her lip. She didn't think it was a big deal, but after Kiba's display of jealousy earlier, she didn't know how he would react. "Well, one night I couldn't sleep because I was all confused about how you felt about me so I went into the forest and found him asleep in wolf form. Of course, I didn't know that it was Shikamaru; I just thought it was an abnormally large wolf. He barely even noticed me while I was there. In fact, after a minute or two, he went right back to sleep."

"That asshole. I told him not to sleep during patrols anymore."

"So… you're not mad?" Sakura looked intently at him to gauge his reaction.

"Mad? Why would I be mad? I'm somewhat concerned for your concept of self-preservation but other than that no."

"Well, I just didn't know. You did almost kill Naruto today for breaking our kiss so…" Sakura looked away. She didn't know if it was a good idea bringing up this topic and she was slightly nervous.

"Sakura, look at me." She did. "What happened this morning was a mistake. I shouldn't have lost control. My wolf is very jealous and possessive toward you and it did not appreciated being separated from you like that. I usually have better control. Once again, I am very sorry and I can assure you that it won't happen again."

"It's ok, Kiba. Don't beat yourself up about it. Naruto shouldn't have done that in the first place. I have one more question."

"Shoot."

"Did your sudden interest in me have anything to do with you being a werewolf?"

Kiba tensed at her question. 'Damn, this woman is almost too smart for her own good.' Sighing, Kiba looked her directly in the eyes. "Sakura, I want you to listen very carefully and wait till I finish speaking before you say anything, ok?"

Sakura met his gaze and nodded at his question. She was starting to feel nervous at his tone.

"Sakura, the inner wolf can do something that we refer to as 'mating.' No one really knows how it happens but the inner wolf can analyze and deduce everything about a person by their scent. The wolf tries to find the person with the qualities that it likes the most. When the wolf finds this person, it changes how the werewolf perceives that person's scent into something irresistible. This happens to encourage the werewolf to mate with the person that the wolf deems as optimal. Now, before you jump to conclusions, mating isn't perfect or absolute or anything else like that. The wolf can only encourage the werewolf to mate with that person. Ultimately, it is the human part of the werewolf that decides to mate with that person or not. Think of mating as like a compass; the compass may point north but the person holding it may want to go south instead. Most werewolves, though, do end up going with the mate that the wolf chooses. The relationship between two mates is just like any other relationship between humans. There are problems. Cheating is the only real exception; werewolves are loyal creatures. Also, the wolf doesn't force the human half to instantly love its mate. This isn't Twilight, after all. Werewolves fall in love naturally, just like any human. The inner wolf doesn't really view its mate as a partner in a relationship anyway. The wolf sees its mate as something to be owned. Something the wolf can fight for, protect, and make babies with."

Kiba looked into her eyes with the most serious expression he could muster, "Now I want you to listen to what I'm about to say, Sakura, and just remember that I mean every word. For the past few months I have been having weird dreams. They were about a woman but not in the normal, wet-dream kind of way. I would usually only get a scent in the dream. Sometimes, I would get flashes of a body but never anything close to a face. I swear to God, those dreams were almost the death of me. That smell was so good, so sexy and intoxicating. Definitely the best thing I had ever smelled. Eventually, masturbating didn't satisfy me and my dreams only became more frequent. I wasn't a virgin when I started having these dreams so it wasn't that big of a deal to find some girl and hook up with her so that's what I started doing. It got to the point where I would be doing that several times a week just to keep myself from going crazy. I searched everywhere for that scent but I never even found a trace of it. My wolf was never satisfied with any of the women that I slept with. It knew who it wanted but I didn't. Sakura, that day that you came to our table to apologize to Ino and everyone else, I found out that you were the person that I had been dreaming about. Sakura… you're my mate."

Sakura took a minute to think about what he just said. "So… you're just dating me because you think I smell good? Because you're wolf wants you to be here?" Deep down, Sakura knew that wasn't true. There was no way that it could be that superficial. She saw how Kiba would look at her sometimes. She couldn't help it though; her self-esteem was still recovering from her depression over the past few months. Against her wishes, she felt tears start to form in her eyes.

Seeing the un-shed tears in her eyes, Kiba quickly got up and went to her side of the booth. He wiped away her tears and took her small hands in his. Looking deeply in her eyes, he began to speak again. "Baby, of course that's not the reason I'm dating you. That first time I asked you out, I was just so excited to have finally found you that I couldn't really control myself. That's why I practically assaulted you in the halls. It started out as just my wolf wanting to be near you all the time, which was only enhanced by the pseudo-foreplay of my dreams, but the more I was around you, Sakura, the more I wanted to be around you. The human part of me. Not just the wolf. Sakura, for the past few weeks, I have found myself coming closer and closer to loving you. I don't mean to put a damper on things but I don't want to lie to you. I don't think I'm in love with you, Sakura. I know I have real feelings toward you but I don't think I know you well enough to call them love. One thing I do know, though, is that when I'm around you, I feel happier than I've felt in years. Just being in your space and seeing that wonderful smile is enough to make all of those months of searching for you worth it and then some. I was serious when I said that I wanted to date you. I want to see how far we can take this. If we fall in love and decide to become official mates then I can't imagine that I would be making a mistake or that I could ever come to regret it." Kiba waited for her reaction.

Sakura only began to cry harder. She had never heard anything so romantic.

"Baby, why are you still crying?" Kiba was really starting to worry. 'Please don't reject me. Please don't reject me.'

"Kiba… that's –sniffle- the nicest… most romantic… -sniffle- thing anyone's ever said to me –sniffle-"

Kiba smiled at that and breathed a sigh of relief. He laughed as he wiped away her tears. After she finally stopped crying, he gave her a kiss. A sweet, romantic kiss; not the usual passionate, demanding kisses that he gave her.

"I thought you said you weren't very good with all the feelings stuff?"

Kiba chuckled. "I don't know. With you, everything just makes sense."

Thinking back on what he said, something struck Sakura as odd. "Kiba? What did you mean when you said, 'officially become mates'?"

Kiba blushed at her question. This was going to be embarrassing. "Oh… uh… well…" he rubbed the back of his head with his right hand, trying to diffuse the awkwardness he felt. "Well… when the chosen mate and the werewolf decide that they want to become life-mates, um... the werewolf will bite the mate, usually on the neck where the scent is strongest, you know… during… um… climax." Kiba couldn't believe what he sounded like. He felt like a fifth grader explaining to his parents how he got his first kiss.

Sakura could only blush madly at his words. She didn't think she had ever blushed so intensely.

Inner Sakura, however, was about to explode with arousal. **'I think I just came in my pants,'** was all she could say.

* * *

Later, Kiba found himself in Sakura's doorway, admiring how beautiful she was. "Sakura, you really are beautiful, you know that?"

"I think you've mentioned it a couple of times." Looking in Kiba's eyes, Sakura smiled. "I had a really great time tonight, Kiba. You sure know how to show a woman a good time."

Kiba smirked at her statement. He leaned down into her ear and whispered seductively, "You have no idea how much of a "good time" I can show you, _Sa-ku-ra._" Kiba just couldn't help himself. She had walked right into that one.

Sakura cursed herself for her choice of words right after she said them. She shuddered in arousal for like the millionth time that night. 'Damn, the way he says my name like that is sexy.'

'**Of course it is! The man probably pisses sexiness when he wakes up in the morning!'**

Kiba loved how responsive Sakura was to his sexual advances. He wouldn't make _that move_ on her yet. It was much too soon and he could tell that she wasn't emotionally ready for it yet. 'Look at how long it took her to decide if she wanted to date me. There is no way she's ready for that.' Giving her another kiss, Kiba bid her farewell. "Good night, Sakura. Sweet dreams."

"Good night, Kiba. I'll see you tomorrow." Sakura smiled at him as she closed the door.

* * *

A/N: Please review


	15. Should I Be Jealous?

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

* * *

**Should I Be Jealous?**

Sakura was on a mission. She needed to find a certain someone and when she did, boy was she going to bring the pain.

* * *

Last night had been amazing. Kiba was so sweet and kind on their first date. She had been thinking about her day while she was in the shower. Inner Sakura kept trying to distract her with thoughts about how sexy Kiba was, but Sakura managed to resist… with difficulty. Her day had gone from awesome to disastrous to perhaps the best night of her life. Then she remembered something.

**Flashback**

_ Sakura was so wrapped up in the intensity of his kiss that she didn't hear him approach. That is, until she was roughly pulled from Kiba and his sinfully talented mouth._

_ "What the fuck is going on here?!"_

**End Flashback**

"That's right! That dumbass interrupted my kiss and almost got himself killed for it!" Sakura felt a hot rush of anger course through her veins. She had forgotten about Naruto's little stunt after the emergency it had caused and the grandeur of her date. But she sure as hell remembered now.

"Oooooh when I find him tomorrow I'm going to kick his ass so hard that he'll wince at the sound of my footsteps for the rest of his life!" Sakura banged her fist against the tile wall for emphasis.

**'Damn right we will!'**

* * *

So, now Sakura was on a man-hunt for the biggest idiot she had ever known. When she found him, she would make him regret even thinking about ruining what was debatably the best kiss of her life. It was definitely top six, being that Kiba had only kissed her six times.

Seeing the blondest head of hair in the entire school and that unmistakable bright orange jacket, Sakura rushed over to him.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Sakura walk up to him. He had been worried about her all day yesterday. He still didn't understand why Kiba had acted like that and he surely hoped that Sakura didn't end up hurt because of it. He noticed that she had an angry expression on her face while she was approaching him. 'That's weird. I wonder what she's angry about.'

"Sakura, I'm so glad you're safe, I was so worried-"

"Shut up, Uzumaki! You ruined my kiss and almost caused Kiba to kick your ass! What the hell was that for, huh?!"

'Oh shit. She's angry at me for that? Does she still not see that Kiba's not right for her? Or anyone for that matter? She's still fragile from her depression; she's not ready for a relationship'

"Sakura, you don't need a boyfriend right now. I know you haven't forgotten what happened to you."

Sakura winced at his words. Then, realizing what he meant, she started to clench her teeth as anger shot through her again. "Naruto, I'm only going to tell you this once so you had better listen. I appreciate that you want to look out for me but I'm a big girl. I don't need you to be my babysitter. It is my decision to date Kiba, not yours, and I expect you to respect that as my best friend. I _asked_ Kiba to kiss me. He wasn't taking advantage of me and you had no right to storm in acting like you owned the place. Kiba has been nothing but kind and courteous toward me, especially on our date last night."

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. 'She asked him to kiss her? Date? What the heck is going on?'

"But Sakura, it's too soon for you to be doing anything like that. You're not healed yet. Plus, you know how Kiba deals with women. You don't need that in your life right now. He'll only hurt you in the end, I know it."

Sakura sighed. "Look Naruto, I'm really glad that you care so much. I really am. But I'm trying to let go of what happened to me. I'm tired of letting my pain control my life. I'm tired of missing out on all the fun that I could be having because of it. Like I said before, Kiba has been nothing but considerate toward me. He has been the perfect gentleman in every sense of the word. You weren't there before he kissed me, you don't know what he said to me, and you weren't there on my date with him last night. You don't know what you're talking about Naruto so why don't you just trust me to make my own decisions. I really like Kiba and he really likes me and I want to date him for as long as possible."

Naruto thought about what Sakura had said for a minute. He sighed, "Alright Sakura. I'll trust you. I can't say that I agree with your decisions but I will respect them like you said. And if Kiba ever hurts you, be sure to let him know that I'll cut his balls off."

Sakura laughed at that. "Thanks, Naruto. That's all I'm asking for. By the way, Kiba would kick your ass faster than you could say 'Believe it!' if you so much as looked at his balls."

"Yeah right. I would so totally own his ass in a fight." Naruto said with an air of cockiness about him.

Sakura laughed some more. 'Oh, if he only knew how much that would _not_ happen.' Turning serious again, Sakura said, "Alright, Naruto. Put your face down here to accept your punishment."

Naruto laughed for a minute. Then he looked at her face. "What?"

"You heard me. Come accept your punishment like a man."

"Sakura, what punishment?"

"Punishment for interrupting my kiss! Do you know how talented Kiba is with his mouth?"

A couple minutes later, Naruto was sporting a black eye that would certainly last for the rest of the week.

* * *

Kiba had observed their entire conversation with keen interest. He was about to go kick Naruto's ass for even suggesting that he wasn't right for Sakura or that he would hurt her. But after listening to Sakura defend both herself and him, he changed his mind. He liked that Sakura was strong enough to stand up for herself. It took guts to stand up to people like that, especially your friends. For Kiba, it was a complete turn on. He liked aggressive women. It made _nighttime activities_ infinitely more entertaining. Kiba licked his lips watching her put Naruto in his place.

He could no longer keep himself from her. She was just too damn sexy. He walked up to her and kissed her with enough passion to leave them both breathless. "Damn, Sakura. That was sexy, seeing you dominate Naruto like that."

Sakura had to restrain herself from turning into a pile of goo at the fire in his kiss. She felt herself grin at the words he whispered in her ear. "Well, if you like it so much then maybe I should dominate you sometime?"

Kiba growled at her words. After licking her ear, he whispered in a husky tone, "I don't think so, Babe. I'm the Alpha here. _**I dominate you.**_" He spoke the last sentence in his alpha voice to emphasize his point… and maybe to arouse her a bit more.

Sakura had to bite her lip hard to suppress her moan. She was unable to restrain herself as mental images of Kiba holding her down while he roughly thrust into-

"Sakura. Stop. Thinking. That. _Now._" Kiba had picked up on the intense flare in her arousal and it was driving him absolutely wild. If she didn't want him to take her right here against the lockers then she needed to stop whatever it was she had been thinking about.

It was only then that Sakura noticed the tension in his muscles and the bruising grip he had on her waist. She quickly suppressed her earlier mental images. "Right. Sorry about that…" 'Well this is awkward.'

Kiba was panting heavily. It had taken nearly all of his self-control not to rip her clothes off. He needed a minute. "It's ok."

"SAKURA, MY YOUTHFUL FLOWER! HOW THE INNOCENCE OF YOUTH SHINES IN YOUR FEATURES TODAY," Lee shouted in his usual exuberance as he approached the couple.

"Lee? What are you talking about?" Sakura quirked an eyebrow at his statement.

"SAKURA, THE YOUTH IN MY HEART CALLS OUT TO YOU AND I CAN NO LONGER IGNORE IT!"

Sakura turned to Kiba. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

"I think he just said that he likes you but I'm not sure…"

Sakura walked up to Lee. "Lee, sweetie, I'm flattered. I really am, but I'm going out with Kiba so I'm sorry but I'm not your 'youthful flower'." Sakura kind of felt sorry for him. He had one of the biggest hearts but those eyebrows and that bowl haircut probably made it hard for him to find a girlfriend.

"OH SAKURA, YOUR WORDS CUT DEEP BUT I SHALL NOT GIVE UP! ONE DAY, THE YOUTH IN YOUR HEART WILL CALL OUT TO ME, JUST AS MINE CALLS OUT TO YOU AND I SHALL BE THERE FOR YOU!" Lee walked off with -anime-style- tears running down his face.

Kiba turned to Sakura and raised an eyebrow, "Should I be jealous?"

* * *

A/N: Please review


	16. Curiouser and Curiouser

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

Short I know but I'm trying to power through my writer's block. Plus, I think you will all like the next chapter.

* * *

**Curiouser and Curiouser**

Kiba turned to Shino, "So how did patrols go last night?"

Shino sighed. "Kiba, we may have a problem. We are lucky that my team was the one on patrol last night. You remember that rogue Alpha that came through our territory a few weeks ago? Well, it seems that he returned. We were able to pick up on the scent relatively quickly but we never caught up to him. It seems as though he just passed through again." **(A/N: Ch. 3 if you don't remember)**

Kiba processed this for a moment. "Hmm… that's weird. I wonder what he wants. It's obvious that he doesn't want to challenge me or he would have done it already. Shino, is the scent still fresh?"

"Yes, it should be."

"Ok, guys. Tell your patrol groups to gather and, after school, we will all follow Shino to the scent trail to familiarize the scent. This way no matter who is on patrol, we can act accordingly."

"Troublesome."

"Shika, is there anything that isn't troublesome to you?"

"I don't know. It's too troublesome to think about."

Kiba face palmed. Then he caught a whiff of Sakura's scent. It was difficult to pick up on in the crowded hall but his senses were attuned to her no matter what. He turned to see her walking down the hall. He grinned at the sight of her. "Later, guys." Kiba departed from his friends and walked up to his girlfriend/mate.

* * *

Sakura was uncomfortable under the stares that people were giving her, especially the stares from the other girls. Apparently, word had travelled around that Sakura was dating Kiba. News about Kiba and Naruto's near death-match travelled too, but since no one could explain Kiba's strange behavior, it quickly died down. Now, the hottest, juiciest piece of gossip that was circling was how Haruno Sakura, the girl who not too long ago was ridiculed for being ugly, managed to land_ Inuzuka Kiba_ in a stable relationship.

She had just become used to the stares she received when she stopped wearing all that makeup and now she was being stared at in a different manner. For the guys, it was pretty much the same but the stares from the girls of Konoha High changed drastically. Apparently, all the girls of Konoha High placed her at Enemy #1 status because now Kiba was off the market and they missed their collective fuck-buddy. The sensible part of Sakura could see the reason behind this. She had heard of Kiba's _prowess_ in the bedroom. Of course, she had been dating Kiba for a few days now so the stares weren't new but now the women of Konoha High were presented with concrete proof of Sakura's relationship with Kiba. She was wearing his jacket to school.

It was starting to get cold in Konoha, being that winter was approaching, and Kiba let her wear his leather jacket. He insisted that she wore it, in fact. He said something about 'scenting' her so other males and potential threats knew to back off of "his woman." Sakura punched him on the shoulder as hard as she could for that. Of course, it didn't hurt him but Sakura felt satisfied that she made her point. She wasn't a piece of property to be labeled like that but she inwardly smiled at his intent. She thought it was cute how possessive he was about her.

Sakura mentally sighed when she saw Kiba walking up to her with that smug grin of his. 'Here it comes,' she thought.

"Hey, Baby," Kiba greeted and then leaned down to kiss her. "You look damn good in my jacket."

"Oh, Kiba. I just love how original you are. I'm sure that I'm the first girlfriend to have ever been complimented like that." Sakura was wearing a sarcastic smirk.

Kiba's grinned widened. "I only speak the truth."

"Whatever, Kiba."

"So, I was thinking that maybe you could come over to my house today. I have some pack stuff to take care of after school, but I can pick you up afterwards. There is someone I want you to meet."

Sakura quirked an eyebrow. "It's kind of soon to be meeting each other's parents don't you think?"

"Nah, it's not like that. It's someone else." Kiba grinned. 'This is going to be fun; knowing Sakura, this will bug her all day and I'm not telling.'

"Well, who is it?"

Kiba grinned some more and flicked her nose. Sakura frowned at that. "Silly girl, it's a surprise. You have to show up to find out."

Sakura huffed and then glared at him. "You know that this is going to bug me all day, don't you?"

Kiba nodded enthusiastically. 'Oh yeah. So much fun,' he thought.

* * *

Later that day, Kiba found himself in the forest with his packmates. _"Alright, has anyone not familiarized himself with the scent?" _No one spoke up. _"Ok good. Now, if anyone even catches a whiff of this scent, that person signals the rest of the pack by howling. Lee, you are the fastest wolf so we will probably need your skills the most."_

_"DO NOT WORRY, KIBA! THE SPEED OF MY YOUTH SHALL NOT FAIL YOU!"_

_"Great. Patrol schedules will stay the same until we discern if this wolf is a threat to us or not. Shika, I'm serious this time. If you sleep through another patrol, I'll start giving you three patrols a week. Got it?"_

_ "It's troublesome but ok."_

_ "Alright. Everyone is dismissed. Lee, it's your team's patrol tonight. Be sure to stay on your toes from now on. That goes for everyone."_

* * *

A/N: Please review


	17. Werewolf's Best Friend

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

* * *

**Werewolf's Best Friend**

Kiba sighed in annoyance. He was stuck at a red light on his way to Sakura's house to pick her up. 'It would be so much easier if Sakura would agree to ride on my back while I was a wolf. Driving is too damn troublesome. Oh great. Now I'm turning into Shikamaru.'

Finally arriving at Sakura's house, Kiba exited his car and knocked on her door. Sakura appeared in a pair of jeans and his jacket. Kiba grinned at that. She did look really good in his jacket. He leaned down to implant his head between her neck and shoulder and breathed deeply. "Hey, babe... Mmm. I smell good on you."

"Ugh. Men. Do your egos ever end?"

"Not sure, but I doubt it. Ready to go?"

"Yes! This has been bugging me all day! I told you it would be like that. At least give me a hint. I don't think I can wait any longer."

After claiming her lips for a moment, Kiba spoke. "No hints. Then it wouldn't be a surprise."

"I don't really like surprises."

"Too bad. Now get in the car and wait like a good girl." He slapped her ass as she began walking.

"Kiba, you asshole!" If Kiba was a human she would have beat the shit out of him. As it stands now, she'd probably break her fists first. 'Stupid werewolves. Why am I dating him again?'

'**Uh cause he's a fine piece of werewolf eyecandy and totally into you'**

'Don't remind me.'

* * *

Ten minutes later, Kiba was tackled by a white blur as he was opening his front door. Sakura shrieked in surprise.

"Ah… Akamaru… Stop! That tickles!" Kiba tried to say between laughs. Akamaru had tackled Kiba to the ground and was saying hello by licking all over his face. After a couple minutes, Kiba finally managed to get Akamaru off. Kiba bent down a little bit so he could pet his best friend. "Hey, boy. Did you have a good day while I was gone?"

"_Yeah, but I want to know who this is."_ Akamaru looked at Sakura.

Sakura had watched the entire exchange. "Kiba, is that your dog?" Akamaru barked. Sakura couldn't believe what she was looking at was a dog. The thing was huge! Sakura bet that it could easily carry her entire weight on his back and then some.

"Sakura, this is who I wanted you to meet. This is Akamaru. I've had him since I was a kid." Kiba said this while he continued to run his hand atop Akamaru's head. Akamaru barked in confirmation. Kiba turned to Akamaru. "Akamaru, this is the girl I've been telling you about, Sakura." Akamaru looked at Sakura and then back at Kiba. "It's ok. You can go say hello."

Akamaru walked up to Sakura and began sniffing her all over. _"You were right Kiba. She does smell good."_

"Yeah, she does." Kiba said with a grin.

Sakura stood still while the giant beast sniffed away at whatever he could reach. If she didn't know any better, she might have thought they were conversing with each other. Kiba was speaking normally, but Akamaru was just making regular dog noises. She thought about that for a minute. 'Duh! Werewolf!' "Kiba, can you understand each other?" Sakura asked with wonder in her voice. 'I wonder what it would be like to talk to a dog. What kind of things would they say?'

"_She just now picked up on that?" _Akamaru turned to look at Kiba with the dog equivalent of incredulous.

Kiba playfully smacked him on his back. "Hey, be nice or I'll start taking you over to Lee's house when I go out."

"_You wouldn't dare."_ Lee was always too excited about everything. Akamaru got headaches when he was around him.

Kiba gave him a look. "Try me." Akamaru returned to sniffing Sakura. Kiba returned his attention to Sakura who had watched the conversation with wonder. "Yes, we can understand each other. So can the rest of the pack and Ino. We guess that the inner wolf is behind it. So if we become life-mates one day, then you will be able to understand him as well."

"That's so cool. I can be like the dog whisperer."

"Oh my god. You have no idea how hilarious it is to hear how dogs talk about people. I can't tell you how many times I've had to stop walking because I was laughing so hard." Kiba looked at Akamaru, "Alright. I think you've smelled her enough to get the idea. Go get in the car." Akamaru bounded off to Kiba's car, barking excitedly.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked.

"To the park. Akamaru needs his exercise and I thought you might like to play with him. Akamaru loves people. Usually, Akamaru and I walk or run but I don't think your little human legs can keep up." Kiba said this with a smirk.

Sakura huffed. "Well, maybe I should take my 'little human legs' on home." She sent him an annoyed glare.

Kiba leaned into her ear and whispered seductively while rubbing her sides, "But then I wouldn't get to see how sexy you are in those jeans."

Sakura finally managed to not shudder at his words. 'Fuck yeah!' "Yeah, whatever. Let's go already."

* * *

Kiba and Sakura spent the next hour and a half playing with Akamaru in the park. Akamaru then departed to play with some of the other dogs in the park.

Sakura then spent the next thirty minutes trying to resist Kiba's attempt to make out with her. She tried to tell him that both his dog and the other people were watching. Kiba just laughed and said that Akamaru was probably flirting with the girl dogs and the other people weren't paying attention. Usually, Sakura would persist but it was kind of hard to think with Kiba's sinful mouth distracting her.

They stayed until the sun started to go down.

* * *

Later that night, Lee was out patrolling, applying the same enthusiasm to it like everything else he did. He suddenly stopped. He thought he heard someone talking. He listened quietly for a minute. He could definitely hear someone speaking and they were close but he couldn't understand what that person was saying. He knew it was a female but it sounded like she was speaking in a different language. All of a sudden, he felt very lightheaded and then he passed out.

* * *

When Lee awoke, he looked up to see the other two wolves on patrol looking down at him with worried looks. _"What happened, Lee?"_

"_Yeah, you just randomly passed out. We thought something might be wrong but when we arrived, we couldn't find anything."_

"_I… I don't know. I remember I thought I heard something and then nothing. The next thing I remember is waking up to find you guys."_

They all exchanged worried looks.

* * *

A/N: Please review.


	18. Precautions

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

* * *

**Precautions**

Kiba turned to Shino and Shikamaru. "What do you guys think?"

Shino was the one to answer. "I'd say we are dealing with a witch. I know that the language of magic is not English and if this witch cast a spell on him, it's not so hard to believe that it might have caused him to faint. However, I highly doubt that her only intention was cause Lee to blackout for a few minutes. I would bet that she placed another spell on him prior to the one that both caused him to blackout and lose his memory."

Kiba nodded. He turned specifically to Shikamaru. "Do you have anything to add?" Shika shook his head with a sigh. "Good work, Shino. I suspected a witch but I didn't think about that other stuff. Alright. Here's what we're going to do." Kiba turned to Lee's patrol group. "You guys are to stay with Lee at all times, no exceptions outside of school. You can work out sleeping schedules on your own, but I want one of you two awake at all times. If anything weird happens, you alert the pack in any way possible. We don't know what kind of spell she put him under or how it will affect Lee, so be on your guard. I expect daily updates, even if nothing has changed. You don't have to follow him around school. Just keep an eye out for him when you see him."

Kiba turned to Lee. "Lee, if you notice anything different about yourself, in any way at all, I want you to tell me immediately. Also, while you are at school, I want you to be with someone always. I know that is generally not a problem with you but I want you to make it your mission to be around someone at all times. Also, if you so much as think about skipping out on your patrol team, I'll make you regret having so much youth. Got it?" Lee nodded. "Good. Until something happens, I don't know what else we can do."

Kiba turned to the rest of the pack, "Do you guys have any ideas on extra precautions we can take?" Kiba may be the Alpha but he tried to include his packmates in decision-making as much as possible. They weren't robots, after all. They were his pack-_mates,_ not his pack-_servants_.

When nobody answered, Kiba dismissed his pack.

* * *

Elsewhere…

* * *

Tayuya was watching in the projection she had conjured in the smoke of her fire. She was watching a lean, quirky, bushy-browed werewolf go about his day as if nothing was wrong. As if the changes she had set in motion had not already begun. 'Well, not that he would know that,' she thought with a sinister grin. 'Soon. Very soon…'

* * *

A/N: Please review


	19. Rising Tension

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

* * *

**Rising Tension**

_Take her. Mark her. Claim her. She's yours, you know this. So take her. What are you waiting for?_

Kiba's wolf was starting to get restless around Sakura. It constantly tried to persuade Kiba to mark Sakura as his life-mate. Each time he was around Sakura, the wolf was there, taunting him, teasing him, trying to coax him to take her. His wolf wanted her desperately and it was trying to drive Kiba into that same desperation. It didn't help that he had this rogue Alpha running around in his territory or this situation with Lee to place more stress on his nerves.

Kiba was resisting with everything he had, but the wolf only fought harder the next time. Kiba was starting to get worried. He didn't want to hurt her but he wanted her so damn bad. He already had to give up making out with her and he stopped trying to push the boundaries of their physical relationship. He didn't think he could control himself if he did either of those things. He hadn't been laid since he found out Sakura was his mate either. This only furthered the allure of the wolf's taunts.

Kiba knew that Sakura still wasn't ready to be with him in a sexual sense. She had accepted him in her life and that was, what Kiba guessed, a huge hurtle to leap. She still hadn't told him what happened to her over the summer that caused such drastic changes in her life, but he didn't mind. He desperately wanted to know, but he wouldn't push her. It was her secret to tell and she would tell him when she was ready and not a moment before.

The wolf, however, didn't care about Sakura's hurt. The wolf only saw her as an object to be possessed by him. The wolf didn't care that Sakura wasn't ready for him, only that the he was ready for her. The wolf would only continue to fight Kiba with more and more persistence, and, honestly, Kiba's will to resist was only getting weaker. He tried to stay strong enough to fight, for her, but if Kiba was honest with himself, he wanted her just as much as the wolf, if not more. Kiba didn't know how long he would be able to hold out. Eventually, the wolf would overtake him. Kiba tried not to think about that because he didn't want to think about the consequences should that happen.

* * *

Lee was starting to get worried. He didn't know what was happening to himself. He knew Kiba told him to speak up if anything changed about him, but he didn't know if this qualified. He was getting angrier and angrier about the little things. It was like before he shifted for the first time, only worse. He didn't know how he had been able to control his enormous anger and hide it from the pack, but he managed.

Lee was also experiencing weird dreams. Dreams of death and murder and other dark themes. They scared Lee. He never had thoughts like that but they were starting to frequent his mind. In his dreams, Lee was the Alpha, he was Sakura's mate, everyone listened to his word and looked up to him. The more disturbing dreams featured Lee standing over Kiba's broken, beaten body whilst he begged for mercy. Lee didn't have any problems with Kiba. He thought that Kiba was a great Alpha, a feeling shared by the rest of the pack. Kiba was respectful and honest, arrogant and hotheaded sometimes but the good qualities heavily outweighed the faults. Lee also thought that Kiba and Sakura were perfect for each other. He saw the way they looked at each other. Lee's small crush on Sakura had faded by now and he supported them in full.

But lately, his decent thoughts were being outweighed by a voice in his head that was steadily getting louder and louder. This voice was constantly pushing Lee to act on these dark thoughts that the voice was putting in his head. This voice wasn't even Lee's wolf talking. Strangely, Lee's wolf had been MIA for the past few weeks.

Lee actually wanted to go to Kiba but something was holding him back. He didn't like the thoughts that were popping up lately. Even if he did go to Kiba, what would they do about what was happening to him? They were thoughts and dreams and how does one combat abstract things like them? Lee didn't know, so he stayed quiet. He could only hope that these thoughts and feelings faded away, and soon.

* * *

Tayuya smiled evilly. 'It's almost time.' It had been just over three weeks since she enchanted the wolf in the forest. The wolf was almost ready to be of use to her. He was about to change form a caterpillar in a cocoon to a butterfly that would leave the other wolves in the dust. She would use him to destroy _that_ person. The person that had taken so much from her and had paid nothing for it. Well, she would make him pay for his crimes against her, even if she had to do it alone.

* * *

Sakura didn't know what to do. Kiba was acting strangely around her for the past few weeks. He wouldn't tell her what was wrong though. They hadn't done more than kiss or hold hands for the past week. Before that, it was like Kiba couldn't get enough of her. She didn't know what had changed. She thought maybe it was because she kept resisting his advances.

They would be heatedly making out and Kiba would start to want more and Sakura would panic and tell him to stop. He would always stop, but she couldn't help but wonder how frustrating that must be. That only filled her with guilt but she was still so scared. She didn't know what she was afraid of, but she was sure it had to do with _that_ incident over the summer. She knew that she told herself that she wouldn't let it control her anymore, and she was trying and making progress, but it was still hard. She needed time and she wasn't sure how long Kiba would wait. That was mostly her insecurities that were talking though. She knew how Kiba felt about her and she didn't think he would leave her for not sleeping with him. She was confident that he understood.

One night a little over week ago, when she once again cock-blocked him, helped her to believe that Kiba understood the turmoil she was going through.

**Flashback**

_After Kiba reined himself in, he had sighed in disappointment. Sakura, of course heard this, and couldn't help but feel even more guilty. She didn't know what to do though. She wasn't ready for that. _

_ Kiba picked up on this. He took her chin in his hand and looked her in the eyes, "Babe, it's ok. I understand. I know this is hard for you."_

_ Sakura looked into his eyes and saw truth in them, but she also saw how much he wanted her. How much he wanted her to want him in the same way, and a part of her did, but the other part was still holding her back. Sakura looked away. She couldn't handle that look right now. _

_ "Sakura, look at me." She resisted at first but eventually she gave in. "I know that you've been through some stuff, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, and I respect that. You've been hurt and you're afraid. It's only natural. I actually like it when you turn me down. Not in a physical sense, of course, but in an emotional sense. For starters, it only makes me want you more. Secondly, it shows me how strong you are, on the inside. I already know that you are, but lately, you've been blowing me away. You know that you're not ready to take the next step with me and you are brave enough to act on that. Do you know how many girls have just done what I wanted just because I wanted it? Even if they weren't comfortable with it, they just went along like they didn't even matter. But you're different, Sakura. You matter and it makes me so relieved to know that you realize it enough to say 'no'. I want you to say so whenever you're not comfortable with whatever I'm doing, alright?"_

_ Sakura nodded. She knew how lucky she was at that moment. 'How many guys would say something like that? How many **high school** guys would say that? So why can't I trust him?'_

**End Flashback**

Maybe she should just trust him and face her fears. She would never get over them if she didn't face them, right? But that thought worried her even more. She didn't know if she was strong enough to do that and what if she regretted it later?

* * *

A/N: Please review


	20. In the Absence of Youth

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

A/N: it's been about a week since the last chapter. It's the first week of Christmas break.

* * *

**In the Absence of Youth**

Lee couldn't believe that it hurt so much. Every nerve in his body was sending enormous amounts of pain to his brain. He didn't know why this was happening. He had felt fine just two minutes ago.

He had decided to tell Kiba about his recent psychological changes. Something was still holding him back, but Lee was fighting it. His Alpha and packmates deserved to know what was happening to him. After all, who knew what this spell would do? It might affect the entire pack eventually and Lee would be damned before he allowed harm to come to his friends.

Lee had made it about halfway to Kiba's house. He was walking through the forest in human form. He was taking his time, trying to organize his thoughts so he could effectively explain to Kiba what was happening to him.

The pain had been sudden and excruciating. Lee was currently writhing on the ground, screaming in pain. The pack member that was with him had left to find Kiba and the rest of the pack. That probably wasn't the best idea, but they were panicked and weren't thinking clearly.

Suddenly, Lee felt a familiar kind of pain. A pain that he had never wanted to relive. The pain of his bones breaking, realigning, and reforming.

Luckily, before whatever transformation Lee was going through could be completed, Lee blacked out.

Lee wouldn't awake till the next morning. His body, however, acted of its own will. Lee's conscious mind had been overtaken by the witch's spell and the beast he had become strolled into the night in search of its master.

* * *

_**"Everyone be quiet!"**_

Everyone immediately quieted down. Kiba didn't usually use alpha commands so when he did, he was serious. The pack was in hysteria. Lee had gone missing and no one knew where he was. The other member of their pack that was with him was found unconscious and beaten in the forest.

"Alright. Everyone needs to chill the fuck out so we can work this out. Lee has gone missing and John was found close to my house sporting the results of a serious ass-kicking. Since none of us were there, we have to wait for John to wake up to tell us what the hell happened. My mom tells me that should probably be in a day or two, due to the extent of his injuries. Until then, I want two wolves patrolling at all times. Even during the day. Stay out of sight and deep in the forests. Try to pick up Lee's trail. Lee is the priority. I don't want to hear about this other Alpha until he is found. I doubt the witch is stupid enough to set up camp, or whatever witches do, inside my territory but just in case, look out for something like that too. Howl for the rest of pack if you find even the slightest detail. All of you are to report if you hear howling. I don't care what you're doing, who you're with, or what crazy excuse you have to come up with, but your ass better be with everyone else in under fifteen minutes. Everyone got that?"

Everyone nodded.

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A/N: Please review


	21. Sweet Dreams

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

* * *

**Sweet Dreams**

Kiba didn't know how much longer he could last. Between the situation with Lee, the situation with his wolf and Sakura, and even the rogue Alpha, he didn't know how much more stress he could take. Eventually, he would snap and who knew what would happen then.

Tonight would be one of the nights where he would have to sleep under Sakura's window. He doubted he would be able to even close his eyes whilst he was in his room, alone. No, he would have to find solace in being near his mate. Then, at the very least, he could be assured that she was safe.

He still had not told Sakura that he would sometimes sleep under her window. He was pretty sure that she would find some way to kick his ass, dump him, and then tell the rest of Konoha that he was a creepy stalker. So, Kiba kept it a secret.

* * *

It was already dark by the time Kiba made it to Sakura's house. As he settled into his favorite spot, Kiba focused his consciousness on Sakura. Right now, she was listening to music and singing along. If Kiba was in the room with her, he would have told her not to quit her day job. Sakura was definitely not the next Celine Dion. He couldn't really tell what else she was doing because the music drowned out all the other sounds that she might or might not be making. Kiba sighed in contentment; even at this distance, being around Sakura calmed Kiba's nerves considerably.

Kiba didn't know how long he had been laying there when Sakura turned off the music and went to bed. He guessed that it couldn't be later than 11pm. Sakura loved to sleep and hated staying up late. Her argument was always the same, "Night time was created for sleep. Why waste it?" Kiba had to admit that she had a point but that didn't stop him from staying up until the wee hours of the night. Not long after Sakura fell asleep, Kiba also succumbed to the Sandman's influence. **(A/N: Just to be clear, the Sandman does not exist in this universe)**

* * *

Kiba jolted awake. Something was wrong and it had awoken Kiba. It took a minute for Kiba to gather his wits and figure out where he was. Once he realized that he was at Sakura's house, Kiba stood up and started to assess his surroundings, looking for the disturbance that woke him up.

After about a minute or so of silence, Kiba discovered what woke him up. It was a scream. Not a blood-curdling, ear-splitting scream of pure terror, but a scream none-the-less. Kiba then realized that the scream was coming from Sakura's room. Kiba listened even more intently; Sakura's window was closed so he couldn't use his nose. He needed to know if it was just Sakura in her room, or if someone or something had come after her. Kiba backed up enough so that he could jump into her window if he needed to while he did this. He would probably break down the entire wall of her room if he jumped through her window in wolf form, but, if Sakura was in danger, Kiba wouldn't hesitate. **(A/N: Sakura's house is two stories because of reasons. Her room is on the second floor, also because of reasons)**

After Kiba was satisfied that Sakura was alone in her room, he shifted and put on his shorts. Sakura wouldn't be happy with it, but he would have to break the locks on her window, assuming that she locked it in the first place. Luckily, there was a small section of roof that jutted out right under Sakura's window. Kiba backed up some more to get a running start; he would need more speed since he was in human form. Kiba leaped and landed on the small section of roof with a light thud, but he had to brace his hand against the house so he didn't face-plant into it. Kiba grabbed onto Sakura's window and checked to see if it was locked. 'Damn, she locked it. She's going to kill me for this.' Bracing himself, Kiba lifted up on the window until the locks gave way.

Quickly entering Sakura's room, Kiba began searching for the cause of Sakura's scream. He quickly noticed the strong smell of fear that was radiating off of Sakura. It was practically the only thing he could smell, which was saying something because Sakura's scent should be overwhelming in her room. He looked to her bed and found Sakura in it. She was tossing and turning erratically, covered in sweat, and whimpering. 'She's having a nightmare,' Kiba thought. 'It must be pretty intense for her to be so scared.'

Kiba walked up to Sakura's bed and sat on the edge. He tried to wake her up gently, but Sakura remained in her nightmare. He then tried being a little more rough, but Sakura still didn't wake up. Kiba sighed. He didn't know how Sakura would feel about his next idea, but he couldn't think of anything else. Still sitting on her bed, Kiba gathered her into his arms and pulled her close. As he expected, Sakura began to squirm wildly, her limps flailing everywhere. Kiba didn't care. Sakura's sleep-punches couldn't hurt him. He just continued to hold her close and started whispering words of encouragement.

Sakura somehow managed to wiggle and squirm enough so that her back was to his chest. She fought against him for a few more minutes and then she froze. He heard her sharp inhalation and he guessed that she had awoken. Then he heard her start to breathe deeply. Deep enough to scream loud enough to wake up the whole city. Kiba reacted quickly. He silenced her mouth with his palm, trying not to be too rough. "Shhh… Sakura, it's me, Kiba."

After Kiba's words processed, Sakura relaxed and Kiba removed his palm. Kiba just hugged her tighter to his chest and laid down on the bed, dragging her with him; he covered them both with the sheets. The open window would not bother her with its chilly onslaught whilst she had a large amount of werewolf heat next to her. Kiba buried his face in her hair, deep enough so that his nose lightly touched her scalp. He heard Sakura's light sobs, not heavy enough to be crying but he was certain that a few tears had escaped her eyes. Kiba knew enough about Sakura to know that she wouldn't want him to comfort her like he wanted to. She didn't want to ever show weakness, even while they were the only two in the room; a quality born from her insecurities and her efforts to overcome her inner demons. He just squeezed her firmly, only long enough to show her that he was there for her. To show her that he would protect her from anything, even her dreams.

They laid there for a few more minutes until Kiba heard Sakura's breathing even out, revealing that she had slipped back into the peaceful realm of sleep.

Kiba stayed awake to think whilst she slept. This wasn't a sexual experience for Kiba. His mate needed him and he was here for her. His wolf wasn't even bothering him right now, which Kiba was grateful for. Here, in Sakura's bed, lying next to the woman he loved, even with all of the problems he would face tomorrow, Kiba was content.

'Wait. What was that? Love?' Kiba thought for a minute. That was just a slip of the mind, but Kiba realized that he did love Sakura. If Kiba had his way, he would spend the rest of his life with this woman; he would make her his life-mate. 'Now if only Sakura felt the same way…' But Kiba would wait for her. He was sure that she had real feelings for him but whatever baggage she was carrying around was still holding her back. Kiba didn't like it but he had no choice but to respect it. She would heal at her own pace and trying to force her into something she didn't want would only end in misery for them both. So Kiba would wait until she was ready.

Knowing that she was still asleep, Kiba lightly kissed the back of her head. "Sweet dreams. I love you."

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A/N: Please review


	22. Family Feud

I don't own Naruto. Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows!

So college started again. I won't be able to update as much, but I'll try to update at least once a week.

* * *

**Meet the Parents**

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She wasn't coherent yet, but she felt safe, comforted, and, most of all, well-rested.

The body next to her stirred and Sakura began to panic. Then the memories of last night flooded into her mind. She remembered that she had one of _those_ nightmares. The kind of nightmare that would keep her up all night. As always, it was about _that_ incident that happened over the summer. The incident that almost destroyed her. It seems as if her mind was determined to not let her forget it and move on with her life.

Then there was Kiba. He came for her. She was mildly disturbed at how he showed up in her room in the middle of the night, but Sakura would deal with that later. Not only did he save her from reliving her vivid nightmares, but he soothed her with his presence enough that she was able to sleep peacefully. He didn't say a word about her nightmare, and she was thankful. She didn't know what she would have told him if he had. He was there when she needed someone, and that was all she could ask for.

She wondered what she did in a past life that she was able to have such great people in her life. Naruto, Kiba, Ino, Hinata… the list went on and on. She didn't know how she could ever repay them.

Last night also helped Sakura quell her insecurities about Kiba. Now, she knew that Kiba was still interested in her and that he was telling the truth when he said that he wasn't angry when she cock-blocked him. Now, she didn't know how she felt about him anymore. Her feelings were becoming stronger and stronger. She felt another piece of the wall that was keeping Kiba away from her heart break off. Kiba had been steadily chipping away at the walls surrounding her. Since that first day, Kiba has been worming past her defenses; all the time, inching his way closer to her in his efforts to win her heart. Sakura just wished that this battle of wills would end all ready. She was tired of the confusion that laced her thoughts of Kiba. Tired of the insecurity. Tired of the uncertainty. Tired of the mistrust. Tired of the waiting. Tired of feeling guilty for not being able to trust him. She wanted this whole debacle to end so she could finally take complete control of her life.

Sakura would have to thank Kiba for last night. He didn't know what a huge impact came from such a small act. Not even her parents could calm her down when she was having nightmares. They tried when she first started having them. After the first night of failures, they gave up. Her parents weren't awful to her but they didn't put a lot of effort into their parenting either. As long as everything was sunshine and roses, her parents were great. But if something major happened her parents would simply give up after a while. Sakura knew what good parents should do for their child. They would never stop trying to help; always supporting her, helping her, encouraging her. A child should always be able to come to his/her parent, no matter what. She wondered what it would be like to have parents like that.

Sakura's parents were also strict on her for no apparent reason. Her mother, Sura, was somewhat obsessed with appearances and would always push Sakura to be "a proper lady". She would often scold Sakura on her appearance. Her mother had barely tolerated her changes over the past few months and was not short of, sometimes hurtful, comments about it. They didn't even question why she was dressing like that. Sakura figured it was because they didn't want to know the reason so they didn't have to try to deal with it. They wanted the effects to disappear without dealing with the cause, in other words. Her father would sometimes stick up for her and act like a real father should, but Sura was a pushy woman and had her father by the balls.

"Sakura, breakfast is…"

Sakura was pulled out of her musing by none other than her mother opening the door without knocking_. Loudly_ opening the door without knocking.

Sakura jumped up in surprise and horror, whereas Kiba fell off the other side of the bed with a loud thump.

Sura merely looked at Sakura with a tight-lipped expression and slammed the door shut and stomped down the stairs.

Sakura sat on her bed and tried to calm down her breathing. Sakura thought she might be having a panic attack. 'Oh Lord. This is going to be a disaster. There is no way there won't be a huge argument about this. Mom is going to flip her lid.'

Kiba picked up on Sakura's distress quite easily. He moved to sit beside her on the bed. "Sakura, I'm so sorry. If I wasn't asleep I would have heard her way before she got into the room."

"It's not your fault, Kiba. God, she's going to kill me."

"Hey, I'm sure it won't be that bad. It's not like we did anything, anyway. Just tell her what really happened… well, mostly what happened." Kiba tried to soothe her by rubbing her back.

"No, you don't understand. My mom's not the kind of person to just be all accepting and motherly about this."

"Your parents don't seem that bad. I thought they kind of liked me…"

"That's just because you're a guest. They just didn't want to show you what our family is really like." Sakura sighed. 'Well, I might as well go ahead and get this over with.' "Kiba, I'm sure she won't allow you to leave before she's screamed at you as well, just promise you won't wolf out on my mom?"

Kiba didn't really understand what Sakura was talking about. He thought Sakura had a great relationship with her parents… then again, she never seemed to talk about them. "Um... sure, Sakura."

Sakura dressed herself and brushed her hair. She was trying to prolong her impending brawl with her mother for as long as possible. She knew it would only make Sura angrier but she couldn't help it. After she ran out of things to busy herself with, Sakura finally opened the door and walked out with Kiba in tow. He was still in his shorts that he slept in, not having a change of clothes.

When she walked into the living room, her parents were sitting on the couch with stern expressions on their faces. Sakura and Kiba sat on the opposite two-person couch.

Sakura begin to speak. "Mom, let me just explain-"

"Explain? What is there to explain, Sakura? It's obvious what happened. I thought I raised you better. I thought I taught you not to whore yourself out."

"Mom, if you would just listen to me you would know that nothing happened-"

"Do I strike you as an idiot, Sakura? Do you think I don't know what teenagers do behind their parents' back? I thought you knew better, but I guess not. You're just like all the other sluts out there."

"Mom, please just listen to me for just one-"

"No, Sakura. I will not listen to you sit there and spew lies to me. Your father and I trusted you and you went behind our back and betrayed that trust. Give me one good reason to listen to you? And even if I did listen, why should I believe you? What else has been going on behind our backs? Are you on drugs too? Do you go out and get drunk and have reckless sex like every other stupid teenager? I will not have my daughter acting like some cheap whore-"

Kiba had heard enough by then. He wouldn't allow someone to talk to his mate like that. Kiba stood up and sent an intimidating glare to Sakura's mother. "Shut the fuck up!"

Sura looked stunned for a moment. "How dare you-"

Kiba interrupted her again. "How dare I? How dare _you_! This is your_ daughter_. Did you even hear yourself while you were talking to her? What kind of mother talks to her daughter like that?"

It was Sura's turn to interrupt. She would not be talked to in such a manner in her own home by some _delinquent_. "I will not be lectured on how to talk to my daughter by some _hooligan_ in my own home."

Kiba growled at that. This woman was really testing his patience. She was lucky he was still in control of his wolf. His wolf was furious that someone would talk to its mate like that.

Sakura tried to stop Kiba as he stalked closer to Sura. "Kiba, stop..."

"No, Sakura." Kiba shrugged out of Sakura's grip on her shoulder. He sent another glare at Sura. "How can you sit there and talk to your daughter like that? If you would let Sakura speak, you would know that nothing happened last night. Sakura was having a nightmare. A pretty fucking terrible nightmare. I could hear her screams from outside. I climbed into her room to comfort her when she needed me and then we went to sleep. Where the fuck were you while Sakura was screaming? I know that you heard her. There was no way that you couldn't. You have no right to call yourself a fucking parent if you won't even try to help your daughter while she is screaming in her sleep."

"For your information, we did try to help her-"

"Don't give me that bullshit! If you had tried to help her then you would have been there in the first place and Sakura wouldn't have needed me. Don't you dare look me in the eyes and say that you tried when you know that you're lying." Kiba sent them a look of contempt. "And you call yourself parents." Kiba turned to Sakura's dad. "You should be ashamed of yourself. What kind of father lets _anyone_ talk to his daughter like that?"

Sakura's dad looked away from Kiba's intense gaze with shame.

"Let's go, Sakura. You're coming to my house. You deserve better than these two assholes." Kiba grabbed Sakura's hand and began to lead her out.

"Now, wait just a minute-"

Kiba growled loudly this time. He turned to Sura and gave her one of his alpha death glares. Sura quickly closed her mouth. Using his alpha voice, Kiba said, _**"Sit down and shut the fuck up. Now."**_

Sura obeyed.

Kiba began to lead Sakura out again. Kiba knew that she wasn't forced to follow his command, being a human; she was just too frightened to go against it.

Once Kiba opened the door, Sura gained her courage again. "Sakura, you walk out that door and you are never welcome-"

This time, it was Sakura's father who interrupted her. "Sura! That's enough. This boy is right. We don't deserve to call ourselves parents." He turned to Sakura. "Sakura, I know it probably doesn't mean much, but I see now what a terrible father I've been to you. I haven't been there when you needed me and that is something that I'll never be able to change. I'm so sorry and ashamed. For what it's worth, I believe you. I heard you screaming last night and I am further ashamed to say that I did nothing. But that is changing today. If you'll have me, I will always be there for you." He paused for a moment. Kiba could see the emotions on his face. It showed nothing but truth, shame, and love. "You don't have to, and I won't blame you if you don't, but please stay here. We can work this out, I know we can, and we'll do it like a real family should."

Kiba looked at Sakura. She was sniffling and tears were beginning to fall. Kiba wanted her to stay. He didn't want his mate burdened by not having a relationship with her parents.

Sakura walked up to her dad and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Daddy."

Her father merely hugged her tighter and said, "Anytime. I love you, Pumpkin." He turned to Kiba. "Thank you for being there for my daughter. Thank you for standing up for her when I was to cowardly to do it. I think you and my daughter will be very happy together."

Kiba nodded. "You're welcome. I just did what I thought was best for Sakura." Kiba looked at Sakura. "I'll see you later, Sakura. You have some things to talk about with your family and I have some stuff to do with my 'friends'." Kiba tried to silently communicate that he meant his pack.

Sakura departed from her father's embrace and gave Kiba a goodbye kiss. "Bye, Kiba. Thanks for sticking up for me and for last night. I really appreciate it."

Kiba hugged her tightly. "Anytime." With that, Kiba left to find his pack.

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A/N: Please review


	23. Your Attention Please

Sorry to disappoint you, but this is not a new chapter.

**PLEASE CONTINUE READING MY A/N**

I just wanted to encourage Fairy Tail fans to read my new story, "The Dragon Twins". It will be an OC/Mirajane and Natsu/Lucy story.

Also, I will be updating this story tonight so don't fret too much.


	24. New Information

Thanks for all the reviews/favorites/follows! I don't own Naruto.

If you didn't read the A/N on the previous chapter, please do so. It's short, I promise.

* * *

**New Information**

Kiba sighed as he entered his home. He just left Sakura's house after her fight with her parents. He had received a text message while he was there that John had finally regained consciousness early this morning. It had been three whole days. His actual injuries had healed after the first day but he still didn't wake up. Kiba was going to take a shower and head into the forest where his pack was waiting for him.

* * *

After Kiba's shower…

Kiba arrived to the small clearing that housed his pack. John was sitting in the middle of the circle. The pack link quieted down upon his arrival.

_"Alright guys. I think it's pretty obvious why we are all here. So everyone give John your undivided attention throughout his whole story. When he's done we'll plan our next move. John."_

_ "Ok so, I was with Lee at his house like I was supposed to be. We were just sitting around watching TV and stuff like that. He seemed kind of out of it since I arrived at his house. All of a sudden he tells me that he needed to go see Kiba. He said that he needed to tell you something. I figured it was important, given his behavior throughout my visit. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong for some odd reason but I didn't question him about it since we were going to see you anyway. We were leisurely walking; Lee said he needed some time to think about exactly what to say. Suddenly, Lee collapsed and started screaming, as if he was in pain. We were already close to your house, Kiba, so I figured I would rush to your house, alone, and come bring you to Lee. I was almost there when suddenly Lee attacked me. Only, Lee looked different. He was all deformed and stuff. He was kinda in wolf form but he was walking upright and some of his muscles were huge and bulging while others were normal sized. His limbs were disproportionate too. It was disgusting. He attacked me and before I could even shift, I was knocked out. I guess Lee ran off while I was unconscious."_

The pack took a few minutes to digest this new information.

Shino was the first one to speak. _"Well, at least now we know what that spell actually did to him. Apparently, it turns him into some kind of monster_. _I think it's safe to assume that this witch is going to use Lee in order to bring harm to someone."_

The pack discussed the possibilities of this new revelation but came up mostly empty handed. They didn't know enough about this witch to infer anything about her next move.

Kiba spoke up. _"Alright guys. Does anyone have anything else to report on this witch hunt?"_

No one did.

_"Alright. Keep up the daytime patrols and keep investigating anything that looks anything even the slightest bit suspicious." _With that Kiba dismissed his pack.

* * *

Shino was just about to leave, being Beta he usually stayed until the rest of the pack left, when a woman walked up to them. Luckily, they had shifted to human form.

Kiba and Shino looked at each other with a confused expression. They turned back to the approaching woman.

The woman was the first one to speak. "Hello, you're Inuzuka Kiba, Alpha of Konoha, right? My name is Shizune. I'm Lady Tsunade's assistant. She wishes to inform you that she will be coming to Konoha during the week."

"Tsunade? Like the famous healer Tsunade?" Shino questioned.

"Yes, that would be the one. She has a granddaughter here that she wishes to visit during to holiday."

Kiba sighed. Tsunade was a famous healer; a kind of witch that only uses healing magic. Her powers were practically legendary. She was easily the most powerful healer on earth and probably among the most powerful witches, if she used that kind of magic. Kiba hoped that her presence wouldn't cause any trouble in his territory. Being a famous witch, he didn't know what kind of attention her presence would attract.

"Thanks for letting us know. Tell her that we wish her a merry Christmas and that we hope she has a good stay in Konoha." Kiba knew it was best to be polite to someone as powerful as Tsunade. No one wanted her as an enemy.

"I will be sure to tell her that. Thank you for your hospitality." With that, Shizune left.

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A/N: Please review


	25. Which Witch is Which?

I don't own Naruto and thanks for all the support for this story.

By the way, for those who, like me, think werewolves are awesome, there is an awesome manga you should read. It's called Wolf Guy: Ookami no Monshou (Wolfen Crest). Ye be warned: young lads and ye with shaky sea-legs need not tread these waters. But seriously, it's not for anyone under 18 or the faint-of-heart.

Also, I'm drafting a Kiba/Ino werewolf fic because I feel like it. It will be drastically different from this one in both the universe and plot. So if any of you guys have ideas or anything, let me know.

* * *

**Which Witch is Which?**

Kiba sat with his packmates outside the operating room in Konoha's hospital. Lee was on the other side of that door and none of them knew if he would make it out alive.

* * *

It had been four days since John had regained consciousness and they received the news of Tsunade's arrival.

Last Night…

_They had finally located the witch's hideout. She had been hiding out in a small forest area near Gaara's territory. It was clever hiding there. Gaara may be an ally but a whole pack of wolves that close to his border would not sit well with him, or any alpha for that matter. Had they not been steadily increasing their patrol radius, but being wary of Gaara's border, they would have never found it. The small hut was abandoned but Lee and some woman's scent surrounded them. Suddenly, there was a deafening roar and two wolves were slammed into trees almost simultaneously. All of the other wolves turned around to visualize this new threat. _

_A unanimous feeling of disgust weaved through the pack link at the sight of what was Lee, confirmed by John. It was gigantic, standing probably well over eight feet tall, with one arm that was bulging and reached to the ground while the other reached to about mid-thigh. His legs were scrawny and, if they were thinking straight, they might have wondered how it could support the weight of his huge and disproportionate torso. His wolf-head was mostly intact but radiated an intense, animalistic rage that was about as far from humane as possible. His tan coat of fur was filthy with dirt and grass, and was falling off in some places. The creature before them was grotesque and none of the wolves before it liked seeing their friend and packmate in such a state. _

_After a minute or so, they finally turned their attention to the petite, red-headed woman standing beside the great beast. It didn't take Shikamaru's genius to conclude that this woman was the witch that had turned their friend into this monster. She laughed evilly, sporting an insane look upon her face, and told her creature to attack. _

_It only took minutes for the beast to cut down half of Kiba's remaining pack. Minutes later, it was only Kiba, Shino, and one other wolf. Beast-Lee had even managed to knock-out, or possibly kill, Shikamaru. Beast-Lee was fast and impossibly strong. No matter how the wolf pack attacked, the beast was unstoppable. They had barely managed to scratch it._

_Another minute passed. Another pack member fell. Kiba and Shino were the only two left. _

_The beast attacked again. _

_Kiba was the last wolf standing. _

_More insane laughter filled the forest and Beast-Lee backed off. _

_Kiba knew that he should be tearing the bitch limb from limb, but he was honestly too scared to move right now. He had put on a brave face for his packmates while he was fighting but after seeing them all struck down like flies, he could no longer hide his fears. _

_Then this witch, she introduced herself as Tayuya, started talking about how much she hated him and blah blah blah. Kiba couldn't really focus on her. Had he been more coherent and not in life-threatening danger, he would have made some sarcastic comment about her obviously-premeditated, evil monologue. Shino had made him sit through enough movies to know that all villains did this before they killed the hero. _

_Kiba just happened to listen in on part of her monologue and found out that she was the older sister of Sakon and Ukon. That really surprised Kiba. Shino had never mentioned anything about them having a sister but he doubted that Sakon or Ukon was the kind of person to talk about their social life with the pack. It then became obvious the reason for her distain for him and the reason she was trying to kill his entire pack. Apparently, she had found an ancient spell that allowed her to make a beast of unimaginable power and the ability to subjugate the beast to the caster's will. It took a lot of rare ingredients to cast the spell, which only took more searching. _

_Kiba didn't know where she planned on ending her monologue but after a few minutes of her rambling, there were huge tremors in the ground. Kiba didn't think Tayuya was the source because she looked just as confused as he was. _

_Under quick orders from Tayuya, the beast rushed for Kiba and knocked him back into a tree. He wasn't forced out of consciousness, yet, but he was pretty sure one or more of his legs were broken. As Beast-Lee stalked toward him, ready to deliver the killing blow, a blur moved toward him and all of a sudden the beast was on its back. _

_Between Kiba and the beast stood a woman with a green jacket and blonde hair in two pony-tail things. Her back was to Kiba so he couldn't make out what she looked like but he somehow was able to guess that this was Tsunade. No one he knew was powerful enough to do that. _

_The beast regained its footing and Tsunade rushed forward and delivered a series of blows that Kiba could barely follow, even with his wolf senses. He could see how this woman was both feared and respected all over the world. She was amazing.  
_

_The beast was once again on the ground, but this time Kiba doubted that he would be able to get back up. He hoped that she didn't kill him, monster or not, that was still his friend. _

_Tsunade turned to Tayuya, who looked like she was going to shit herself. Kiba couldn't blame her for that. _

_Tsunade landed a few blows on Tayuya and she dropped like a sack of potatoes. Kiba could feel himself losing consciousness. The last thing he was Tsunade kneeling down over Tayuya and chanting something he didn't understand._

* * *

When Kiba regained consciousness, what he later learned was a few hours later, it was still dark and he was still in the forest.

He sat up quickly, and found his left arm was in a cast. He had several other smaller bandages across his body. Across the small clearing was Shizune, healing one of the wolves in his pack. He looked around. His other pack mates had bandages covering their body. As far as he could tell, only a couple others were awake.

Shizune eventually filled him in on what happened. Tsunade had been travelling to Konoha when she felt a powerful source of old and evil magic. She had raced towards the source, being against the use of such magic. Apparently, she was the source of the tremors Kiba had felt earlier. Tsunade had dispatched Lee by hitting a serious of pressure points on his body and then proceeded to do the same to Tayuya. She used her healing magic and knowledge of modern medical science to take away Tayuya's magic. Permanently. Kiba only felt his fear and admiration of Tsunade grow; she was truly remarkable. By that time, Lee's body had tried to start reversing the effects of the spell and Tsunade quickly rushed him to the hospital, where she alone would attend to him. Shizune had been ordered to stay behind to help the other wolves.

* * *

It had been seven hours since then. Thanks to Shizune's healing magic and their werewolf healing, they were mostly healed and now awaited the fate of their packmate.

A few minutes later, Tsunade emerged from the operating room, her clothes covered in blood. She looked like a woman in her fifties or sixties. Kiba thought that it was strange since she was rumored to look like a woman in her thirties. His eyes went lower and… 'God damn!' Kiba shouted in his mind. 'This Tsunade woman has some huge tits!' Kiba's eyes widened; he found that he could not look away and his cheeks flooded with heat. Tsunade's voice brought him back to the world of the living.

"The kid barely made it, but he should be fine." That was all she said before walking out.

Audible sighs of relief washed though every member of Kiba's pack. Everyone, including Lee, was going to be alright.

Kiba wished that Tsunade had stuck around so that he could thank her for saving his ass and his friends. He would go after her himself but with his injuries still healing, he couldn't move around very much. 'Oh well. I'm sure I'll see her again soon,' he assured himself.

* * *

A/N: Tell me what you think. I'll add more to this chapter later, so don't fret too much.


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